Heir

Heir Duology #1

by Sabaa Tahir

An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.

And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she's willing to give up.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives―and their hearts. Literally.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Romantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Young Adult Fantasy

528 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2024

About the author

**My apologies if I don't respond to emails or friend requests right away! Come find me on Twitter or Instagram @sabaatahir, or on my web site: www.sabaatahir.com

Sabaa Tahir grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s 18-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother’s comic book stash and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

Reviews

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝓣𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼, 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 … 𝓦𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶. 𝓣𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔀𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓱. 𝓣𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓮. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓭𝓸 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓾𝓹. 𝓓𝓮𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱.”

An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.
And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 4.5 Stars- rounded up... fk it. 😉 ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Wow! This was so good - I've had a limited amount of time recently to read at night and so I really took my time with this one. I just loved being able to take my time and savor it - so much fun being back in the world of An Ember in the Ashes.

Heir is set in the same world as An Ember in the Ashes - this story takes place 20 years after AEITA and while it's not required to read AEITA, it will only help understand the world better and there's some spoilers in this one for AEITA if you haven't finished that one yet.

We follow “the second generation” of sorts, including Helene’s nephew and Laia and Elias’ son, this is a twisty and gripping, dual timeline story of fighting for your people and your family, no matter the cost.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Sabaa Tahir truly knows how to play with your emotions and she holds nothing back when it comes to keeping you in the edge of your seat. Heir is a perfect mix between character and plot driven, the story is a little slow at the start but picks up pace fairly quickly , with a power-hungry deity, a misguided outcast, and the best of the best found families.

I loved seeing the world established in AEITA expanded and the lore of the various cultures and beliefs woven into more intricate tapestries. It was like sliding right back into comfort being in this world, of course that is until all hell breaks loose lol. Quil is such a great MMC and honestly rivaling Elias as ultimate book boyfriend in this series - maybe. I mean. And Sirsha is such an amazing bad ass FMC.

╰⪼ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓐𝓲𝔃 ｡˚ꕤ˚｡ is someone who is completely devoted to a better life for herself and her people, seemingly no matter the cost. She spends a lot of this book trying to find her place and accomplish her goals under the guidance of someone she has utmost faith in before she seems to really step into her own - though not really for the better.

There is an underlying brutality in Aiz that is very interesting to read because she manages to hide it so well - even from the reader a good chunk of the time. She is a very complex character who is occasionally hard to get a read on but I think I rather liked that about her!

╰⪼ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓢𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓱𝓪 ｡˚ꕤ˚｡ my girl! Loved her from the moment she was on page. Full of sarcasm and wit, she does her best in life and that’s all she can expect herself to do! She’s brutal when she needs to be and can totally kick ass. She's sassy and smart- quick and clever. She comes across as cold but she's got a heart of gold.

╰⪼ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓵 ｡˚ꕤ˚｡ is a deadly and dangerous cinnamon roll/golden retriever. I think that is the best way to describe him. Being surrounded by Helene and Elias, he is sure to have a dash of cold cruel killer mask but with Laia in his life and others with a slightly softer temperament, he is a perfect balance of broody/strong/dangerous and sweet/loyal/caring.

He really was a great character to read from because he is incredibly analytical and really takes everything in - really giving the reader an in-depth understanding. His relationships with other characters were also amazing - but one in particular really melted my heart!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I really don't have any complaints, I devoured this book and loved everything about it. Loved being back in the AEITA world and can't wait to get back to it after that cliffhanger ending!

And again, while the pace of the story initially started up a little slow in order to set the whole scene. The constant rotation of POV's makes the story pick up quickly. The world building was flawless - no info dumping, no lulls. Truly a top favorite of the year.

Overall, a great start to a new series, I think that seeing new and old characters with all of the different dynamics, time jumps and a few different character POVs worked so well and kept me entertained from cover to cover. I’m super intrigued for what’s to come! Trying to keep the review extremely vague due to spoilers. Highly recommend!

Thank you to my darling lovely Esta for buddy reading with me! Had so much fun! Please check out her thoughts on Heir as well. Esta's Heir Review 💘👯‍♀️

Many thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and Sabaa Tahir for the complementary digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 💙

[Esta · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was much younger, I found escapism in books and authors like Enid Blyton, J.K. Rowling, and Roald Dahl. They were a good time, but let’s not pretend they were winning any diversity awards unless you count Moonface as a breakout star.

Fast forward and I’m so glad things have become more inclusive in literature since I was a child. Heir has the revolutionary concept of different skin shades and tones amongst main characters (same deal for AEITA), one of them being brown eyes, brown skin, and black hair on a three-dimensional FMC, Sirsha Westering, and portrayed like it’s the most natural thing in the world, as it should be.

It’s painfully obvious this book hit home for me, making me feel seen in ways my childhood reads never did. But it wasn’t just my sassy queen Sirsha stealing the show for me. I also felt supremely connected to the other MCs, Quil and Aiz, and even the supporting side characters were serving up personality, layers, flaws and shades of grey.

Additionally, I thought the world-building was mesmerising—rich with culture and even language. "Jaldi" is a word I caught which is Hindi/Urdu, some characters have names with glottal stops etc.

Moreover, the storytelling and plot were ace, with brutal and painful themes that are all too relevant today, for example, as we pray Palestine is freed. Mind your triggers: Genocide, colonisation, war, death, poverty/suffering/classism, child death, mentioned family violence and abuse.

Furthermore, I never felt bogged down by info dumps or suffocated by action scenes (which are plentiful). You can truly see how much Tahir has levelled up as a writer from her debut to this book. It’s classified as YA, but it didn’t feel overly young. There’s some mild fade-to-black spice, and the characters are aged around 20, so it strikes a good balance.

My one nitpick? I prefer shorter chapters, and some of them are quite long. But that’s a minor quibble in the grand scheme.

Now, let’s address my bold decision to read this series out of order. Let me save you the suspense: If you don’t want spoilers for An Ember in the Ashes , do yourself a favour and read that series first. I only read the first book before diving into Heir, and while I did spoil myself a bit, it was fine. That said, knowing a little about AEITA characters like Laia, Elias, and Helene added an extra layer of enrichment and enjoyment.
Bottom line: I highly recommend reading the entire AEITA quartet first. I’m not here to tell you how to live your life though, so if you wanna read this as a standalone, you definitely can.

I know I’ve seemingly given out plenty of 4 and 5 stars this year willy-nilly. Maybe I’m easily pleased, maybe I rate based on mood and enjoyment, maybe I have impeccable taste in bookish friends who filter out the duds (you know who you are), maybe I'm super picky with my reading choices, maybe I'm hyper-aware of what floats my boat, maybe I don't take star ratings seriously, maybe I'm a Starman waiting in the sky, or maybe it’s a mix of all that. Either way, yes, I’m giving this one another 5 stars (6 in my head) and I'm not sorry.

If you love high fantasy with incredible characters, you may need Sabaa Tahir in your life. Consider this my highest recommendation.

Special shoutout to my darling friend Heather, whose shared enthusiasm made this reading experience even more memorable. She wrote a fantastic review over here.

My heartfelt thanks to Hachette Australia & New Zealand | Atom for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

🔹🔹🔹

So I just finished An Ember in the Ashes book one, and am diving into this next. Am I reading out of order? Yep. Fingers crossed!

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

its been sooo long since ive read the ‘an ember in the ashes’ series but, luckily, remembering the details isnt necessary to follow and enjoy the beginning of this spin off duology that takes place twenty years later.

and what i enjoyed most about this is STs hallmark storytelling. she has a really effective way of creating a fantasy world, breathe it to life with magic, and somehow make it feel like a realm of reality, not one of fiction. and, as always, she has done a great job at populating that world with well-developed characters.

the only thing that kept me from loving this more was just my tendency to not fully connect with stories that have multiple POVs. there is always a character i dont click with and dread reading their chapters (in this book, it was aiz), and i find that multiple POVs tend to draw the story out and slow down the pacing (the first half of this book took forever), which lessened my reading experience.

but, with all that said, this is still a must read for anyone who had fun with ‘an ember in the ashes’ or anyone looking for a multi-dimensional fantasy adventure.

↠ 3.5 stars

[ˋ✧*⁀➷ ʙᴇᴛᴛʏ (med school got me good) · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Tell me a dream, little love."

My dream is to go back in time and decide to never pick up my most anticipated read of the year. Sabaa Tahir, I EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU 😭

You know it's bad when i couldn't find a single sentence worthy of annotation. For the sake of this review, i had to sneak out little strings of sentences from amidst irrelevant conversations.

You cannot write a spin off of one of the best fantasy series to ever exist, and not expect the readers to compare them both. The Ember Quartet is an electrifying masterpiece that grips you from the very first page. Its characters, flawed and complex, the mesmerizing world building, its emotional depth and its exploration of power, oppression, and the choices that define us, tackling themes like loyalty, sacrifice and struggle for freedom, its all so so so beautiful- BREATHE THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A REVIEW FOR AN EMBER IN THE ASHES!

The Ember Quartet is not just another series that you read and rave about; it's a life lesson. Laia's humanity, Elias's selflessness, Helene's loyalty; these characters teach you a lot. "The Heir" failed to capture it all. The characters had little depth and Tahir couldn't properly capture their motivations and complexity. This book felt like a big distorted dream. The emotions were all over the place, the relationships lacking depth or believability, and the world building not as immersive as its predecessor.

Once the plot starts making sense, the plot twist becomes clear and predictable, diminishing the impact of the story's surprises and reducing the suspense that is often integral to an epic fantasy.

These are the disappointments that i faced, but the major problem I had with this book is AIZ. oh dear we have a long rant incoming, buckle up. I'll mark the spoilers wherever necessary.

• PLOT AND CHARACTERS

"The Heir" focuses on three different characters navigating through their hardships-

»» ZACHARIUS MARCUS LIVIUS AQUILLAS FARRAR a.k.a QUIL

"I remember, and I mourn, and I rage at myself and then I vow to have vengeance."

The Heir to the Martial Empire. Helene Aquilla's, now The Empress, nephew. Raised by Tribe Saif, he loathes being a king and does not want to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. He and the people of the Empire, along with Laia and Elias are troubled by a vicious killer roaming their grounds, shredding apart their innocent children, one of whom was Laia and Elias youngest son, Ruh. On one unfortunate night of Rathana, the army of Kegar, led by their remorseless and heartless Tel Illasi, bombed the districts of The Empire. Quil, his cousin Ariella, along with Elias Venturias's son- Sufiyan Venturias, had to flee the country on Helene's orders looking for "a thing" that their now Blood Shrike, Tas possesses, in order to stop this war. On their journey to Ankana, they come across an outcast - Sirsha Westerling.

"Grief is a strange beast. Some battle it, their souls scarred from its abuse. Some bury it, and live life waiting for it to reemerge. And some tread water, the grief a weight about their necks. Every reminder makes the weight heavier." She turned halfway, her face in profile. "You and I tread water, nephew. And I would not see you drown."

»» SIRSHA WESTERLING

Love was pain. Love was hurt and betrayal. But it was also the reason she stood here, battling a creature of ancient and unrelenting hunger, instead of on a ship a few hundred miles away. Love was why for the first time since her family cast her out, Sirsha didn't feel alone.

A Jaduna Tracker, who with the help of the four elements of earth- air, water, wind and earth can track the trails of various entities. Shunned by her society for an inhuman act of killing thousands of her own people, she is a wanderer who is not allowed to use her magic to track people who possess magic, The Karjad, although she can still track magicless creatures. One day she stumbles across Elias Venturias, who hires her to catch the killer of his son. They vow an oath and Sirsha must fulfill her duties at any cost, if she doesn't want her oath magic to drive her to insanity. Set on the path to kill this killer, she meets Quil and his gang and grows an attachment to them, and a deep love for Quil.

»» AIZ BET-DAFRA

Here we go. DEEP BREATHS. IN AND OUT IN AND OUT.

"Aiz bet-Dafra, you are a daughter of the evening star. You are not meant to be caged. Despair is death. Crush it. Stoke your rage instead. Escape. Kill the pretender. Take our people home."

THIS BITCH- Aiz, sorry I forgot her name is Aiz and not "this bitch". *deep breath* . Aiz is an orphan living in the Dafra slum of Kegar, the southern continent. Kegar is ruled by three triarchs- each one possessing a different power to smith. Clan Oona: bloodsmithing; Clan Ghaz: mindsmithing; Clan Hiwa: windsmithing.

Kegari's have long stopped producing their own food and thus the Sail pilots wing across the northern mountains to drop bombs on foreign villages. The waiting Kegari army would steal grain and goods to send home and survive the season.

Aiz is a windsmith but she's very weak at it. Therefore she grows bitter of her dearest friend, and a potential lover, Cero when his windsmithing abilities secures him a position as a rich and flourishing pilot of sails under the fleet commander: Tiral bet-Hiwa, son of the windsmith triarch, Hiwa. Tiral is a cruel upper class brat who loves flaunting his power and killing innocent lower class Snipes just for the fun of it. He, once, burned down Aiz's orphanage and only her and Cero could come out of it alive. Triarchs conscript the parents of these lower class slum residers, leaving them orphans at a young age.

There's a prophecy that follows- "In our hour of greatest need, Mother Div will return in the body of Tel Ilessi, the Holy Vessel. And Tel Ilessi shall deliver us back to the homeland from whence we fed so long ago. Mother Div left Kegar to her three children."

Therefore, Aiz wishes to kill Tiral and possibly overthrow the Triarchy, free Mother Div so that they can return to their homeland and free themselves from this tryanny and starvation.

-spoiler begins-

But she fails at killing Tiral and gets herself locked into the dark chambers of Kegar prison: The Tohr. There she, with the help of the book she stole from Tiral, connects her to the voice of Mother Div, who guides her out of the prison and towards Tribe Saif where she meets Laia. Aiz is now set on a trail to free Mother Div. While nomading with Tribe Saif and hunting the ninth sacred tale (she seeks Laia for answers as the book that connected her to Mother Div was written by Laia of Serra), Aiz meets Quil and they fall in love. Well, atleast Quil falls in love with her, Aiz was just taking advantage to gather information. Aiz also befriends Elias's and Laia's child- Ruh. After Elias knows her truth, she runs away along with Ruh and enters the forbidden ground of Owa Khel: the empty. There she frees an evil vicious creature, disguising as Mother Div and chains herself to it. Div feeds on young children and in return supplies Aiz with endless power. Its first victim unfortunately happens to be Ruh, who was present there at that time. In this way, Aiz trades her humanity for power.

The moment we get to know that Aiz's chapters were set on the past, it becomes pretty obvious that she is the killer. And after that, all that big revelation falls flat. It didn't take long after that for her chapters to annoy me. This woman is insufferable. Like okay wannabe Helene Aquilla, we get it! You kill innocent children to save your own ass, you bomb other's homes and slaughter other's children to save your own from starving - AND STILL FAIL AT IT - LIKE PLEASE! THIS SLUM RAT IS NOT EVEN WORTHY OF TOUCHING HELENE'S HAIR forget being her- tHe eMPrEsS wiLL unDeRStaNd mY sAcRiFicEs bcz sHe aLsO diD iT aT hEr tiME- STFU PLEASE AND THANKYOU.

"It is one thing to take from among foreign populations, Div," Aiz said. “I mourn the innocent, but they are not my people. Their leaders have long known the Kegari are starving and done nothing to aid us. I do know our people. They have suffered enough."

ZIP THAT VICTIM CARD AND DIE 🥰🥰

Aiz after rotting in jail, battered and tossed around like a rag doll, sneaking away, living at tribe saif's mercy like a beggar, betraying and killing her own people and the ones she loved, all for kegaris- AND STILL LIVING IN SLUM BAHAHAHAHA. and then this bitch wandered why Quil was not being understanding and rather hated her more.



and not this bitch calling Quil naive, hopeful and weak THE IRONY YOUR HONOUR.

all in all, i'm sad that she didn't die. Sufiyan should have done a better job :-/

»» QUIL x SIRSHA

bro stole her pins because he likes how annoyed she looks when she can't find them. "it's sweet." he says😭

"Sirsha." He caught her gaze and held her tight. "Your eyes look like you're saying goodbye. Come back. Be here with me."



Come what may, they would be reunited. He would love her if she let him, give over his body if she demanded it, be the home he knew she longed for. He would find her. He needed to find her.



Tahir, for the love of god learn how to write happy endings :)

»» QUIL x ILAR a.k.a AIZ

we'll pretend this never existed GOODBYE.

»» SUFIYAN x ARIELLA

i'm starving for their crumbs Tahir WE BETTER GET LOADS OF THEM IN THE NEXT BOOK!! although i'm a taaad bit offended that Elias's son is not the main character but it's okay 🤗🤗

ALSO, WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?????? SIRSHA IS NOW CHAINED TO DIV!?!? DAFUCK 😃 ALSO HOW ARE AIZ AND CERO STILL ALIVE?😃 SUFIYAN YOU HAD ONE FUCKING JOB!! 💢

-spoiler ends-

In conclusion, this book couldn't exceed its predecessor's expectations.

Huge thankyou to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and Sabaa Tahir for the advance reader's edition. All opinions are my own!

[Clace]

Why is the arc not available anymore 😣😭
___
A girl surviving Prison
A Huntress
A Crown prince

AAAAHH AFTER FOUR YEARS this queen is dropping a new fantasy novel with a beautiful cover 😩 I just know it will break me and heal me in the best way.

I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT WAIT!

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✩ 3.25 stars ✩

What to Expect:
➼ Magic & Curses
➼ Justice/Revenge
➼ Dreams vs. Duty
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Religious Fanaticism
➼ Economic Inequality
➼ Found Family
➼ 3 Main Characters with Interwoven Stories
➼ Non Linear Timeline
➼ Third Person POV

Reading this was a humbling experience. I can’t remember the last time I felt this confused reading a book. I reread close to ten chapters, I phoned a friend, I welcomed spoilers, anything to help me understand what the heck was going on. That being said, there was a lot that I loved about this book, but I can’t fully recommend it after struggling this much.

First off, I need to say that you’re going to have to read this one the old fashioned way. I listened to the audio, and it did NOT work. I really struggled to understand which character I was following at any given point in the story. There are three main characters that the POV shifts between and the female characters were extremely hard to differentiate. The fact that the author was intentionally vague on some details and was purposely unclear about how the characters were connected didn’t help.

I was told that this was a dual timeline story. After researching it a bit more, this is not 100% true according to the author, but thinking of it this was is the only way I made any sense out of what was going on. Since it wasn’t a true dual timeline read though, there were many points where this was also very confusing as the more fluid timeline weaves back and forth. Again, this was an intentional choice by the author since she wanted some details to come together later in the story, but it didn’t quite work for me, especially via audio.

Something I did enjoy was that this story was more romance forward than the authors previous series. The first book in the An Ember in the Ashes series was also more romance forward and it was my favorite in the series by far. I gave the first book in that series five stars and the books that followed each earned one fewer star from me. I think I personally prefer my books to have a happily ever after ending and you can’t count on this author to provide that. I was pretty upset by some of the choices she made in this book that affected the beloved characters from An Ember in the Ashes for example. Those particular characters have been through enough in my opinion and shouldn’t be under attack from her in this Duology. It may be more realistic, but I read to escape reality. 😆

There were a lot or interesting themes in this book and the overarching story eventually came together, but it was a bumpy ride for me. Please learn from my mistakes and actually look at the physical pages if you plan to read this! You’ll need to be very conscious of which character you are following at all times and take into consideration that what you’re reading may be occurring in the past. If I had known these things going in, I think I would have had a much better time. Genuinely wish I could rate this higher!

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Pre-read: I myself I wouldn’t start this until I had written some reviews… I guess I’m a bad listener. 😅

[Hassan Saeed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes it took me two months and it was worth every single day 🤭 if I could draw it more out I would
RTC this weekend 😌
~•
Guess who got the arc 🤭
•~
Sabaa Tahir writing another high fantasy?? Well now I know why my wallet was staring at me.

[✨⚡ Kelcey (felinebooktrovert) ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to review this book without spoilers but here goes.

Heir has a really intriguing storyline and you see some characters from the previous series if you've read it. Helene is such a boss 🔥

I enjoyed most of the new characters but had some difficulties with one of the POVs we were following. I did however like what Sabaa was trying to do with that POV; it's a character arc that we don't get to see very often but that I would love to see more of. So execution was a little off for me but still really added to the overall story.

But I was pretty invested in the other POVs and was always looking forward to reading those storylines. Quil and Sirsha were fun characters to follow and to see their interactions with different characters, and I particularly enjoyed Sirsha's journey and how she developed over the time of the book.

And the ending of course leads to wonder what the actual hell is going to happen next, which Sabaa is really good at. Let's see how savage she is in the next book 💀

Thank you Goodreads and Putnam for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I’m so happy to return to the “An Ember in the Ashes” universe with this highly anticipated sequel revolving around three main characters: Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil. Reading Sirsha’s POV, with its action-packed, heart-pounding tracking journey, violence, smart tricks, and a pinch of magic, was especially delightful.

If you haven’t read the “An Ember in the Ashes” series, this first book of the duology can be read as a standalone. However, I highly recommend reading the entire series, which consists of four amazing books, to fully understand the world-building, character development, motivations, and important backstories. Even though Sabaa Tahir does an excellent job summarizing past events in each POV, you’ll need to read it a few times to absorb all the details that connect to the bigger picture.

There’s a time lapse in this series from where “AEITA” left off. We’re introduced to each main character, starting with Aiz, the sole survivor of an orphanage fire caused by Tiral, a tyrant who murdered innocent children out of envy and anger. Aiz, using her magic to control the wind and become a pilot, is left aimless when her childhood friend Cero embraces that title. Her only motivation is vengeance against Tiral, but when her plan fails, she is captured and tortured in prison. She discovers innocent children are also captives and believes Mother Div may help her escape to stop the tyranny and save the people. Could Cero find his way to her to team up for this suicide mission?

Another main character is Quil, the heir of the Martial Empire, as her Aunt Helena Aquilla demands. Helena even works on a marriage plan to create an alliance between empires behind Quil’s back. Quil, still grieving the woman he loved and dealing with guilt over not resembling his evil father, barely restrains his magic. Reluctant to take the throne, he is forced to fight back when an enemy attack puts the empire in danger, embracing the responsibilities he’s been given.

Finally, there’s Sirsha, a tracker with secrets and magical powers, connecting with the four elements to find her way in the world. When Elias Vertius approaches her with a job opportunity, she hesitates at first, as the job involves tracking a dangerous killer targeting children, including Elias’s child. As her journey begins, she realizes she has risked more than she expected.

As you can imagine, these three characters’ paths will intersect, and the fast-paced narrative will keep you on your toes. Get ready to enjoy this wild journey! Did I enjoy it as much as the “An Ember in the Ashes” series? Absolutely! It truly exceeded my expectations.

The character development, building tension, increasing pace, perfect world-building, fantasy, magical realism, and action-packed sequences are all blended adroitly. I couldn’t put it down and cannot wait for the second book! I highly recommend this new series to the author’s devoted fans, “AEITA” lovers, and fantasy enthusiasts. It’s a great start, and I have a feeling it will be even better in the second book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for sharing this highly anticipated fantasy book��s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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[évieane · Rating 4 out of 5]

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . 4.7 - 4.9 ☆ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ I don't even think I have the right words to describe how amazingly captivating the world of this book is and how addicting the plot of this entire novel becomes the more you read about it. I have just finished the "An Ember in the Ashes" series right before I picked this up, and I can totally say this book truly made me feel like a proud mother of some sort because it was so amazing to actually see the future of the characters I came to love while also discovering new, absolutely magnificent ones.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ “No one can manipulate those with faith like a person who has none.”

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ short summary
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Heir introduces the next wave facing a world scarred by the past. It marks a stark turning point, thrusting a new generation into the hard-won, yet precarious, peace established by Laia, Elias, and Helene. Quil, Sirsha, Sufyan and Tas grapple with the fragile peace and now carry the weight of hard-won victories. New threats emerge with new empires at the forefront, their ambitions stirring unrest, and with the misguided beliefs of some newly introduced characters such as Aiz who struggles with the wish to protect her people.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ The legacy of the previous generation casts a long shadow as these young heirs navigate treacherous politics and looming conflicts, tasked with either building upon hard-fought freedoms or succumbing to the familiar cycle of power and war. The fight for the future has just begun, carried on new, uncertain shoulders.


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ First and foremost, I want to thank Sabaa Tahir for the amazing universe that she managed to create with all of these novels because I am entirely captivated and absolutely in love with everything from this vivid imagery that she placed on paper. From the small, cultural elements to the vastness of the empires and their specifics, everything was simply beautiful to me.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ I must admit that I was apprehensive to begin this since I had been so close to the story of Laia, Elias, and Helene that I expected it to be tough for me to leave them behind and begin reading about a new generation to follow them. I was so completely wrong. This was great in terms of characters, and the fact that, aside from catching glimpses of the original trio, you can truly see their characteristics in their offspring and new family is simply stunning.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ It is no secret that I really enjoy this author's writing style, and this book was no exception. I would have preferred to see more of the bittersweet style of writing from her past works, but I devoured every page of this book nevertheless, so I would not really complain.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ The plot is highly interesting and captivating. You would think this world would finally be able to find its peace, but you will be completely incorrect since, evidently, danger is never far away, and these folks will never catch even the shortest of breaks. I will not dispute that certain portions of the action were quite predictable, and a few of the plot twists were probably pretty easy to anticipate and see before they happened, but there were some really surprising and shocking reveals as well.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ I am a fan of romance as a sub-plot instead of the primary plot of a fantasy book, so you can imagine my enthusiasm when I discovered another book to add to my list of Yes, give me that slow-burn and those little glances of love! However, I would have preferred a slightly slower growth of the romance from time to time. I get that these characters are continuously on the run and that love must be experienced swiftly and intensely for them, but some of these scenes felt rushed at times.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ I have just one small thing to say about the ending of this book: What do you even mean, Sabaa and what is even going on?!


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ I did not think I will come to love these characters in such a short period of time and only after one book, but I guess this book decided to surprise me in the best way possible.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍✠ Sirsha - I just simply love EVERYTHING about this character. She is fearless, she is more than just brave, she is extremely sassy, and she is acting like her only scope in life is to flirt and torture the men around her. What more could you wish from a character, right? I was immediately intrigued by her as a character from the first pages in her POV, and she did not disappoint. Her backstory is also quite wonderfully bitter, and I can not wait to learn more about her background and what exactly causes the grief that she appears to carry about and hide so well behind her cold, sarcastic facade.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ✠ Quil -I don't even care if you all say he is just a fictional man; for me he is real, and he is still waiting for me to find him somewhere. I guess it is pretty obvious after what I just said that I love him as a character. A gorgeous, powerful, and brave man who is constantly putting all those dear to him above him, who is fighting to protect everyone out of sheer love and duty, and who is also a reluctant ruler is probably the perfect combination you can offer me to make sure that I will adore that said character. He is probably the one that gathered all the qualities of those that raised him through his childhood, and what a beautiful character he is because of that.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ✠ Aiz - I didn't like her from the very first chapter; I completely came to hate her through the book while reading her inner monologues and witnessing her actions, and I loathed her by the end of the book. Nothing else to mention here apart from I knew it.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ✠ Sufyan, Tas and Arelia - My sweet, beloved side characters whom I would have loved to see more of from time to time. First of all, it was so absolutely beautiful to see Tas once again and how he finally managed to find a family for himself with these characters; it was also very funny to see what he grew up to become. Sufyan is such a gorgeous combination of his father's will to self-sacrifice and his mother's love for the world. And Arelia is probably the nicest addition to this almost found-family that it was surprising for me how much I actually loved her and her straightforwardness.


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ I am actually begging you to read this. I am definitely recommending this if you are looking for something rather easy to read, with a great deal of cultural elements entangled through the gripping plot and some really intriguing characters that are bound to make you like them no matter what. I am also recommending this if you are looking for a character to hate so much that you don't even want to bother to understand the reasoning behind their actions; or maybe this is just me being a complete hater.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ My only criticism about this book is that the second one hasn't even been announced yet and I don't know what I am going to do with my life while waiting for the next book to come out after this particular traumatising ending.






⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ᯓ ✿ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍pre-reading ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⪼ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ started ┆30-Mar-2025┆
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⤿ Picking this up after just finishing the last book in the "An Ember in the Ashes" series seems to be the only correct course of action at this point; so, well, here we go....

[Arsal]

What was that? Sabaa Tahir dropping another fantasy series set in the same world? GIVE IT TO ME NOW!

[Zoranne · Rating 5 out of 5]

all i can say is WOW

review to come!

[sakurablossom95 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has easily claimed a spot in my top 5 favorite reads of 2024. Seriously, it’s that good! The fast paced writing and amazing banter to the tension, action and unforgettable characters….in a nutshell Heir completely wrecked me. T_T

Set about 20 years after An Ember in the Ashes, this spin-off is a continuation that delivers in every way possible. Technically, you could read Heir as a standalone series apart from the OG series, but why would you want to? Trust me, the experience is so much richer when you’ve already immersed yourself in the Ember series. The callbacks, glimpses of old characters, and subtle tie-ins are pure gold for OG fans.

I’m honestly at a loss for words because each chapter kept me on edge. It’s an emotional rollercoaster with a well-paced story that leaves you literally speechless! Heir has everything I could want in a book: witty characters, high-stakes adventure, delicious banter, amazing tension, a captivating magic system, and a little dash of romance to sweeten the deal.
If you loved the original Ember in the Ashes series, Heir adds even more depth to the world and the characters you already adore. It expands the universe in ways that make the original series even more meaningful. If you’re a fan of pain, heartbreak, and trauma, this one’s definitely for you. 😭😂

A huge thank you to @penguinteen for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Yusra ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You're so afraid if you feel something, you'll actually have to do something. And that if you do something, it will be the wrong thing.”

My excitement when this book was announced was unreal. I loved the AEITA quartet so much, I knew that whatever she wrote (in the fantasy world) next would be amazing. BUT I have to be completely honest about something. I don’t think I would love this as much as I did if it wasn’t written as a continuation of AEITA. Laia and Elias as parents was ugh, so amazing to read, and Quil growing up and being an adult and everything, I felt like I was their auntie lolol. I was there from the beginning, before they were even born! It felt sooo special and that just got me super excited the second I found out about that.

Also….I have a theory and it was kind of hinted at in the book as well. I don’t think Ruh is dead. I really don’t AND I HOPE TO GO HE ISN’T. The only thing is, where is he then?


➣ Writing:

I mean, it was good, but not as good as AEITA (which was perfection). There was BARELY anything I could quote and not many memorable parts of the description or thoughts the characters had. I did really like the dialogue though.



➣ Plot:

It was a bit slow the first 150 pages, but after it picked up, it picked up. Once Quil and his gang met Sirsha, everything got better. Their teamwork was amazing and Quil and Sirhsa’s scenes were great. Not to mention Sufiyan, who was literally one of the best parts of the book.



➣ Characters:

♦ Aiz:

My thoughts before I reached a third through of the book: “I love her anger. Her quiet and calmness mixed with the storm brewing inside her is just so impressive. I absolutely love her.”

My thoughts after page 130: “I hope this little b!tch rots in a hole with rats eating at her flesh and dies.”

Ufffff I hated her and her ugly little self. In the beginning, it was her drive and the way she was willing to do anything to save her people. By anything, I was NOT expecting her to LITERALLY mean anything wtf. The fact that Ruh’s blood, along with so many other kids, are drenched in your hands and YOU’RE FREAKING PROUD OF IT makes me wanna kill her myself. And she has the audacity to say that these children's deaths are honorable and they should be proud. B!tch, stfu and die. When you realize when her chapters take place and the time, you can kinda realize where this was all going. She treated everyone around her like a pawn she can move at any moment and it just made me so freaking mad.


♦ Quil:

Zacharias Marcus Livius Aquillus Farrar. Sounds familiar? Yessss our baby boy from AEITA grew up and is the 20 year old crown prince of the Empire. He’s kind of like, half golden retriever, half deadly warrior. The perfect combination, he’s absolutely adorable. When he gets flustered, when he’s defending his friends, when he’s fighting, everything about him is just amazing. He’s such a kind person omg. When he got mad at Sirsha for not telling him about the fact that the Kegari had magic in her sails and then apologized and fixed his mistake the very next morning made me love him even more. He owned up to his mistakes and was so humble about it ARGH I LOVE HIM


♦ Sirsha:
Love was pain. Love was hurt and betrayal. But it was also the reason she stood here, battling a creature of ancient and unrelenting hunger, instead of on a ship a few hundred miles away. Love was why for the first time since her family cast her out, Sirsha didn't feel alone.

The best character in this entire freaking book, omg I love her sm. Owner of the streets but just to earn herself a better life. Her sass and wit, her attitude and charm, everything about her screamed badass. She knows what she wants and is doing what she can to get it. She never bowed down to anyone and she knows her worth. But along with all this, she has such a big heart. QUEEN.

♦ Sufiyan:

One of the best freaking parts of this book. I don’t have more to say than that.

♦ Arelia:

At first, I judged her since she was from Marcus's side of the family but now I’m going to pretend I never did because I literally loved her so much.

♦ Tas:

TAS OMG TAS. THE WAY MY HEART JUMPED WHEN IT SAW HIS NAME AND I WAS SCREAMING OUT OF JOY BECAUSE TASSSSS HE WAS MY SON IN AEITA AND NOW HE’S HERE AND HE’S OLDER AND FUNNY AND CHEEKY AND ADORABLE AND ALL GROWN AND AHHHHH I LOVE HIM EVEN MORE WHICH I DIDN’T EVEN THINK WAS HUMANLY POSSIBLE HIGHIKSHGSBGORAJGHKLGUCYUBGUJ I NEED MORE OF HIM IN BOOK TWO


➣ Couples:

♦ Quil and Sirsha
Play Fire on Fire by Sam Smith and listen to the second verse, pre chorus, and chorus, and you’ll understand their relationship. I loved them so much, they had such good chemistry.

♦ Quil and Aiz/Ilar

…..we give them Keenan and Laia treatment and pretend they never existed.

♦ Laia and Elias

I know they aren’t the leading story or even a side couple, but I just HAD to mention them. Omg I love them as parents so freaking much, every time I saw Elias and Ruh playing around or teasing each other, I got so happy and wouldn’t be able to think about anything else all day. After everything they went through in AEITA, they deserve this happiness. (Minus the pain about Ruh). Also, shout out to Elias, my man, who saw through that bleeding little liar from day ONE.

♦ Sufiyan and Arelia

For some reason, maybe since they barely had ANY scenes, I wasn’t obsessed with the idea of them like others usually were. But I NEED to see more of them in book two lol.


➣ Honorable Mentions:

AEITA fans, remember Shan?? Our favorite Zaldar is still here and as amazing as everrrrr! he has kids of his own, who are Elias's kids cousins (THE WAY I WAS SQUEELING WHEN I SAW HE WAS STILL ZALDAR IS CRAZY GUYS I LOVED HIM SM)

Musa 100% deserves a mention as well. He's still as cocky and funny as ever and needs to COME BACK IN BOOK 2.

Tribe Saif is my home away from home. If I could just move there and live with them, may days would be happy. I loved that tribe in AEITA and I still love them now.

To conclude, I loved this book sm despite Hanna and Yusra keep telling me that it doesn’t pick up and it’s just slow. (Liars, those two smh) Now I know never to trust them because this was amazing and I can’t WAIT for book 2!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RATING: 4.5, rounded up

POST READ: ohhhh myyyy godddd nooooo

PRE READ: my beloved aunt bought me a copy last month and i’m finallay getting to it 🥹 super excited, except i heard helene’s character gets ruined so i’m terrified for that, but inshallah khair! let’s gooooo

PRE RELEASE: WHEN I TELL YOU IM DYING OF EXCITEMENT, IM DYING OF EXCITEMENT OMG SHES BACKKKK 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

helene aquilla know that i would die for you

thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing the arc

Follow me on Instagram

[benedicta]

the arc isn't available anymore 😔😔 time to scale the walls of Ms Tahir's home

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

after loving the ember in the ashes quartet, i was so excited to get to this book and it didn’t disappoint. i personally feel like its better to have read that series before reading this spinoff as the world building, characters and magic is added on to what’s already established previously and 2 of the characters are the young relatives of the main characters of AEITA.

it took me a minute to get into the story but once i did i was immediately invested. there’s 4 main characters: Sirsha, Quil, Cero and Aiz and they all had interesting motivations that drove their actions. Sirsha is a tracker who is tasked with finding someone who’s been killing children around the empire and she’s definitely my fav character along with Quil. Quil is the crown prince of the empire who is struggling with his role and all that comes with it in the shadow of his aunt. i was living for the bits of romance between him and Sirsha, their connection was palpable and i loved the push and pull dynamic going on between them. Aiz is set on revenge due to the way her people have been treated over the years and is harboring a dark connection to a being far more dangerous and powerful than she realizes. Cero is a skilled fighter who’s a close friend of Aiz and tries to do what he can to assist her, while also worrying over the situation Aiz has landed herself in. there’s a lot to like about these new perspectives and the way the author wrote Div (the main antagonist) just proved even more how great she is at writing multi layered characters who are all intriguing in their own right, whether you’re supposed to like them or not. this was a promising start to this duology and i will 100% be reading the sequel!

➵ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Penguin Group for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[aleeza♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤 ੈ✩‧₊˚

a very special thank you to the gorgeous Yusra ☾ who let me yap about the book to her throughout reading it… and who probably doesn’t know I’m even mentioning her 😭💗 ily girl!

ੈ✩‧₊˚𝕞𝕚𝕕-𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 ੈ✩‧₊˚

UPDATE: so uhm… I just learned I was supposed to read “An Ember in the Ashes” first which makes sense bc I was like wtf I can’t understand any of this… whoops 😭😭😭

UPDATE #2: guess what? I found out you don’t have to read “An Ember in the Ashes” first so even if I’ll regret getting spoiled on the first series I’m going to continue with this book anyway since I’m on vacation and can’t currently get the first series. If I really enjoy this one I’ll read the first series… hehe. The story of Elias and Laia sounds really interesting though…

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 ੈ✩‧₊˚
✩✩✩✩✩ 4.5/5 stars!!!

(me originally yapping because I rated it 6 stars) and that’s a shocker because it’s so hard to rate a book higher than 4 stars for me 💗 NOBODY KNOWS HOW INCREDIBLE THIS IS

…update. so uhm while I did love the book SO MUCH, after the high of finishing the book (IFYKYK the feeling) and the first hundred pages were honestly kinda of slow so… 4.5 stars! still good <3

𝓈𝑜𝓃𝑔:
Kangana Tera Ni - Abeer Arora
▶︎ • 0:34 ၊၊||၊|။||||| 1:44
𝒯𝑒𝓇𝒾 𝒶𝓀𝒽𝒾𝓎𝒶𝓃 𝓃𝑒 𝓀𝒶𝓇 𝒹𝒾𝓉𝓉𝒶 𝓅𝒶𝑔𝒶𝓁
(𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒹𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝓂𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝒶𝓏𝓎)
𝒟𝓊𝓈 𝓀𝒾 𝓀𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓃
(𝒯𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝐼 𝒹𝑜)
𝑅𝒶𝒶𝓉𝒶 𝓃𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓊 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝒶 𝒶𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒷𝒾𝓃𝒶
(𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝓁𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝒶𝓉 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉… 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊)
yep. you know it’s a good book when it’s got you listening to cultural music

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ੈ✩‧₊˚

guys I cannot recommend this book enough and I really really really wish that I was nonchalant enough to make this review short but I’ve never been that girl sooo bear with me <333

wanna know why it took me so long to finish? I really could’ve finished in a week, but I was so attracted to the world especially knowing the second book isn’t even FINISHED yet, that i really didn’t want it to end. And truly only God knows when the second book will release… if it ever does. God, I’m not ready. Where the hell is the second book?! I need ittt but also I want Sabaa to take her time crafting this masterpiece. I truly wonder what goes through an author’s head when creating something my tiny pea-sized brain could never even begin to imagine. I wonder how the series will end and what other ending would’ve been possible.

the world is an absolute masterpiece. The way it was written is so precise and beautiful. Though it’s written somewhat based off of Ancient Rome, it for some reason really feels close to home (probably because the author’s Pakistani like meeee eek I feel so represented!!! 🙈💗). Also I doubt it’s solely based off of Ancient Rome, she definitely took some inspiration from back home… and I absolutely love it!!!

It makes me feel included and not to make this about me or anything but growing up with so much normalized South Asian hate around me, I love that there are coloured characters in this book who can just exist without having to be defined by their skin. Like in ACOTAR or Fourth Wing, the authors make such a big deal about emphasizing that some of their main character’s are coloured but with this book there isn’t any explanation needed. We can just live with how were born in that world.

the characters all feel real, whether with rage or a passionate love. anything the characters feel is felt then by me and Sabaa’s writing is just so poetic and mesmerizing that I often forget that I’m reading rather than actually living in a world with the characters.

I just can’t believe it took me so long to read her books and I think her work deserves so much more love, forever underrated!!!

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 ੈ✩‧₊˚

I swear it’ll be so hard if I ever have children because all of the names below have now become well-accounted possibilities. I want to name someone one of these names!!!

now this is the part where we really get into my emotions… 👀👀👀

Sirsha - oh my God from the start I was in love with this beautiful amazing gorgeous feisty main character. she never made me mad like some main characters in other books, but instead I found myself relying on her and agreeing with literally anything she said. she could blindly lead me to the edge of a cliff and I would jump off without her even asking me to. it’s actually funny, really, because when I first read about her I thought she’d be one of those characters who was just so cool that she would remain single… little did I know that she has a love interest… WHO ABSOLUTELY FLIPPING DESERVES HER. WHO WOULD’VE THOUGHT?! I also love how Sirsha never complains because though it’s human to ponder on why things are happening to you, sometimes authors overdo it until it because petulant. but Sirsha? She’s perfect with all her flaws.

Quil - my baby. my literal BABY. he’s so young and yet he has all these expectations and a reign to start soon, as an heir of a kingdom would typically have. you know, at first, I thought he was quite a bit of a softie. but as you read on, he becomes so much more mature and fierce. I’ll admit, I sometimes got mad at him but it was never his fault. in fact, the parts where i got mad at him, he was getting manipulated and I would’ve never even saw it coming if I was him. The way the past comes back to haunt him always breaks my heart and agh I cannot say more or else I’ll spoil. Anyway, in my head I’m married to this cute handsome man hehe. if nobody will talk about this book or him, I WILL!!!

Aiz - oh God. Oh God. I’m not even sure how to write this properly because it is to capture all of my wrath for this dumb girl. It’s going to be so hard not to turn my speech vulgar but I’m trying so here goes nothing. AIZ YOU LITTLE MANIPULATING CHEATING EVIL LITTLE THING . There, I said it without any swearing and even then it doesn’t properly encapture all the hatred I feel for this self-entitled girl. I really really don’t want to spoil but it feels IMPOSSIBLE. let’s just say this… Aiz, no matter how many names you have, you will always be the most disgusting being to ever exist. filthy and pathetic. people who haven’t read this book must think I’m being so harsh but you guys need to READ IT!!! Aiz, I hope your next bath is in gasoline.

Sufiyan - my Sufi!!! he’s that one side-character that everyone loves and oh God do I love him. I wish he had more time in the pages but he sure will in the second book hehe. I always knew I loved that name 🤭

Arelia - once again, she didn’t get enough attention in the book but she sure should in the second book!!! she’s my smart fiery girl and honestly I love seeing an engineer in a book. in my family we have two engineers (my dad and sister) as well as one who’s studying to be one (my brother) so it’s super cool!!! we love engineers. That’s just how you KNOWWW Arelia is super duper smart and inventive!

Ruh - oh my little baby. my poor baby. you never deserved to die (don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler). You were a character who haunted the storyline and even then everyone missed you so so so dearly. even the villain loved you. for some reason I keep wishing Ruh will come back from the dead. I’ll resurrect him myself or something!!! agh!!! he was just an innocent baby, he was just 10!!!

Laia, Elias, Helene - now I know these are characters from the previous series “An Ember in the Ashes” (which I intend to read soon… 👀) and yet I still found myself loving them so much. they’re just as loving as they are strong and I did indeed feel FOMO reading about them but it’s my own bad that I unknowingly read this book before the first generation’s books. Elias, I just know you’re fine 🤭🤭🤭 IM SORRY LAIA I’LL LEAVE YOUR MAN ALONE, GOD, IM SORRY!!!

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕣𝕤 ੈ✩‧₊˚

alright from now on there are spoilers so skip to the conclusion if you haven’t read it yet. thank you <3

how ironic it is that Aiz’s fake name was Ilar. Ilar, when the letters are reorganized, spells our ‘liar’. killing children? not hot, Aiz. Not hot. She’s a freaking disgusting human being. All this mention of how she thinks her genocide is PERMISSIBLE(?!) just because she’s “t-t-trying to get her pweple hwome 🥺👉👈” oh spare us the garbage, Aiz. Really? Makes me think about the poor state of our actual world.

and I swear she’s going to try and act all innocent and stuff in the second book. Quil better not cave into anything… I know he won’t. He’s too strong for her. He belongs to SIRSHA!!!

but can we freaking talk about that LAST PAGE. Sirsha is referred to by her full, old name. S’rsha had a sting to it, yes. BY NONE OTHER THAN STUPID DIV. Sirsha binded herself to Div or whatever that wretched creature is!!! Isn’t that INSANE?! has me going wilddd. but honestly the ending scares me as well because what the hell does Div mean “Now that we are one, we are going to do such beautiful things together.” I mean obviously we know what she means by that but UGH NO!!! not to mention the hunger Sirsha felt, similar to Aiz when she was taken advantage of by Div???

It just has me thinking about how Sirsha will act in the second book, how Quil will feel about his SECOND LOVER being binded to obnoxious Div. God, Sirsha’s going to change just like stupid Aiz did, huh? And I really do wonder how Aiz’s (hopefully) inevitable downfall will go.

oh also these are my thoughts throughout the book here you go haha

Chapter 3:
“The money’s in the back bedroom,” Sirsha said. “In a safe behind the painting of the ugly dog. Now that I think about it, the dog looks a bit like you, Migva. Did you ever sit for a painting—“ And then she gets kicked. BAHAHAHA
I missed the feeling of reading a book and this one sure as heck is fulfilling that feeling right now after several attempts at starting new books… hehe yay!!!
So far, i love Sirsha’s POV the most
Chapter 8:
I ship Suffiyan and Arelia hehe
why does every chapter end with someone screaming 💀💀💀
Chapter 14:
OMG BUT WHY ARE QUIL AND SIRSHA SO CUTE?! HEHEHEHE
Chapter 18 (close to 19):
HEHEHE QUIL’S GOT ME BITING MY LIP FR (and Sufiyan ofc ofc)
“She’s engaged. To me.” QUIL OMG AAAAAAAAAAAAAA IM SCREAMING N CREAMING.
Chapter 19:
ugh if only I had read the first series first, then i would’ve been going crazy for Laia
ILAR?! OH BOY AIZ, OH BOY.
Elias 🫦🫦🫦 (he’s 40 in this book 💀)
Chapter 20:
💀 not the jaduna wedding—THIS ISNT SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY BUT LIKE IT IS (also I feel kinda bad for J’yan yk)
I suspect the “killer” is Empress Helene but also that doesn’t make sense IM SO CONFUSED
OH MY GOD IS IT ARELIA?! no but… WHO?!
Chapter 22:
wait im sorry maybe I missed something in the book but why are there two Quils? one in Sirsha's POV and his own POV and then theres ANOTHER one in Aiz's pov?! pls explain idk what I missed
two seconds later
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD NEVER MIND I THINK I JUST REALIZED. OH MY GOD. AIZ IS IN QUIL'S PAST ISNT SHE?! I JUST CONNECTED THE DOTS OMG OMG OMG I THOUGHT IT WAS A COINCIDENCE THAT HER COVER UP NAME WAS HIS LOVER'S PAST NAME OMG. IS THIS SOMETHING EVERYONE COMES TO REALIZE OR WAS IT STRAIGHT UP SAID EARLIER IN THE BOOK AND IM STUPID?!
Chapter 24:
wait idk if im being stupid but Ilar, if you switch the letters around, is ‘liar’. And one of the reasons QUIL liked her was because he thought her to be honest. So MAYBE SHE WAS LYING ABT SOMETHING!! PERHAPS PERCHANCE…?
Chapter 25:
Mother Div’s evil, isn’t she? Who the hell doesn’t trust THE Laia? also maybe AIZ is the one who killed Ruh because of Mother Div and pretended she died too. OR mother div was done with Aiz and killed both Ruh and AIz. That’s why it’s so hard to track the ‘killer’. IDK IDK IDK.
Chapter 28:
NO NO NO STUPID AIZ UGH SHE KISSED QUIL NO NO NO I KNEW IT WAS COMING BUT STILL UGHHH HER LITTLE CHEATING MANIPULATING ARSE
Chapter 29: CERO HAS A POV?!
Chapter 31:
There’s nothing I hate more than Aiz and this is supposedly the night she dies… but it’s definitely the night Ruh does. He’s just a kid!
Chapter 32: FINALLY THEY KISSED
Chapter 34: oh quil NEEDS that cookie 💀
Chapter 35: HELP NOT SIRSHA CLOCKING DIV
Chapter 39: the way theyre bantering while kicking ass is KILLING me 😭🙌
so yeah uhm… that was chaotic!

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 ੈ✩‧₊˚

this review actually took FOREVER to write so please like it 😭😪😞 BUT ANYWAY yeah I recommend this book a million times and more!!! please please please read the original series, An Ember in the Ashes, first unlike I did. It’ll actually deepen your understanding and improve the experience of reading this book plus I bet it’s amazing.

now if you don’t mind me, I’m going to waste away reading the first series, depressing books, and pre-ordering the deluxe/collector’s edition of this book to cope while I don’t have the sequel.

oh and uh don’t be surprised if I keep updating this review, I have so much more to say 😭🙏

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝕡𝕣𝕖-𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 ੈ✩‧₊˚

“stop starting books without finishing your current reads!!!” everyone says (nobody says that) and to that i say frick you (jk jk guys i’m not a mean person pls) ANYWAY i wanna start this book since i’m going on a plane even though it’s only five hours but yknow hopefully i’ll get a good chunk done also i follow the author on instagram for whatever reason and she has a cat so that’s literally amazing and all I need to know about her

[Azanta (azantareads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

what? what- what what what what. what????

review TK i don’t have words-

7/7/24: okay i’ve finally formulated enough words and thoughts to put together a review. TL;DR: i absolutely loved this book and i cannot freaking wait for the second book.

as a longtime Sabaa Tahir fan and avid collector of the Ember books, you can obviously imagine that from the second Sabaa announced a spinoff duology, i’ve been itching for this. Heir did not at all disappoint. i did reread the entire Ember quartet before going into this book and i’d definitely say that if you haven’t read Ember yet, i *highly* recommend you do before starting Heir. you can actually pinpoint the exact scene in Reaper where Sabaa might have had the idea for a spinoff duology and it’s very cool to experience.

Heir brings us back to the brutal world of the Empire but expands the world significantly. we learn all about the Southern Continent and the cities there while also visiting the lives (and the kids) of some very familiar, very beloved characters. i think Sabaa did an incredible job of bridging the events of 20 years ago with brand new stories and characters with brand new consequences while bringing in her classic punchy prose that follows you throughout the book. Heir is so perfectly reflective of the world we live in, of all of the lives we sacrifice “for the greater good”, especially those of children, and of the greed and arrogance our society lives off of. as always, she does an incredible job of looking into the costs and falls of suffering and how we let it fester in our society. this is made all the more devastating to read knowing what is currently being done to the people of Palestine and Sudan and all those under occupation, then and now. this story is for all the children who are offered up as sacrifices on the altars of “freedom” and “the brave”; for the men, women, and kids whose only crime was their will to live; for the resistance and the anger that carries us. Heir is a story of defiance at its core and one that comes together beautifully.

i loved this book so much but i especially loved all of the nods to Pakistani and South Asian culture and Islam. i LOVED the humor laced throughout the story and especially in Sirsha’s chapters (funniest character award) and i love Quil so much, my tortured prince 😭 Aiz, girl, i’m only letting you off the hook rn because spoilers and also because your name reminds me of my own.

this was an excellent first book to a duology and i really cannot wait for the second book to bring everything together. if it makes any sense, i’m already excited for the reread because Sabaa’s books are always even more amazing with the reread because you can now pick up on all the genius foreshadowing she leaves scattered throughout the story. Heir was truly everything i was hoping for and more 🥹

[Jackie ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping I would like this a little more than I did 😬

Rating 3 ⭐️

There were some things I liked, don't get me wrong. The twist with Aiz's story, for one, I had not figured out at all. That really changed the outlook of the story and had me really excited! However, I called one of the main big twists really early on. I hate when I do that because then a story loses that bit of mystery and intrigue. (I wish I didn't do this but I've read too many books to not guess the ending! One of the only authors who still surprises me is Brandon Sanderson. I don't know how that man does it.)

The villain was also very interesting. I love a corrupting influence 😈

However, there were also some things I didn't like. The romance (I won't say between who - no spoilers) was a little lackluster. I just didn't feel a lot of chemistry between the characters. And pre-mature declarations of love always kinda put me off. Like, you love this person? Really? Since when? Coulda fooled me.

The characters felt a little flat to me. Quil, mostly. Aiz and Sirsha are alright, but Quil was a little boring. Like, what are you bringing to this story, young man? At least Aiz and Sirsha are interesting.

And the ending. Hmmm. I don't know how I feel about it. It definitely creates the framework for some interesting narrative beats in the sequel, but I don't think I wanted the story to go that way. I'll probably still read the sequel, mostly because I liked the An Ember in the Ashes series and want to finish out the world, but I haven't made up my mind yet.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
LETS GO! I'm on a ROLL! Let's slam down another Goodreads Choice nominee! (which just so happens to be a book I've been very much looking forward to read.)

[vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Grief is a strange beast. Some battle it, their souls scarred from its abuse. Some bury it, and live life waiting for it to reemerge. And some tread water, the grief a weight about their necks. Every reminder makes the weight heavier.”

4.5 ⭐️

i read Ember when i was 17 and im 27 now. that’s an entire decade of knowing the characters like they’re my friends so reading Heir felt like homecoming.

THE PLOT
as always, i knew this epic fantasy would consume my thoughts and it did! Heir was very fast paced and gripping with lots of action. it doesn’t really slow down or drag at any point. the plot progression was smooth and major events unfolded organically. some twists i saw coming while others were a surprise.

we get shifting POVs from third person for multiple characters which kept things interesting. the world building is very vast but doesn’t get confusing the more it’s explored. there weren’t any info dumps either so i wasn’t really overwhelmed with the introductions. fair warning, the book does end on a cliffhanger and the conflict is far from resolved. i have a decent idea where the sequel is headed so write fast miss tahir 😮‍💨.

THE CHARACTERS
the mentions of old characters was super nostalgic and i’m glad they made brief appearances too because gosh i’ve missed them! it was such a breath of fresh air being back in the world after so many years. the new characters were larger than life as it’s the author’s forté and i quickly cared about them.

i really liked quil. he was by far my most favourite character in the book. his chapters conveyed the powerful message of “we are not our fathers” and breaking the cycle of abuse. he was a fine leader with sound judgement and a solid personality. he was the most levelheaded one in the group too.

the only thing i disliked about his characterisation was the insta love between him and sirsha. it’s my most hated trope and their romance moved too fast too soon. i suppose the author wanted to speed things up but i would’ve preferred a slow burn in any case.

aiz was such a morally gray character that i had mixed feelings about her. i admired her faith at first but it quickly turned into ‘blind faith’ and that’s when she lost her way. it’s a pretty accurate representation of overly zealous people who commit atrocities in the name of religion. aiz was a twisted warrior of sorts and a dictator towards her own people. she sacrificed her humanity for power which ended up skewing her moral compass. on one hand, i could empathise with her past and mission but on the other, i loathed her for what she became. by the end of the book, i straight up hated her.

sirsha struck me as the classic badass fmc who also happens to be a survivor. her backstory wasn’t explored in as much detail as i’d expect and i think that’s why i didn’t connect with her much. i liked her wit and sarcasm though, which kept things interesting.

we also got cero & sufiyan’s povs which came as a surprise to me but i welcomed them because the more the merrier 😄.

FINAL THOUGHTS
i had high expectations for Heir and it did not disappoint. i’m quite impatient for the second book to be out but i know i’ll have to wait. anyone can write a book but only few can write a great story and sabaa tahir is one of them. she knows her audience well and she knows how to craft a tale that has us all wrapped around her finger, hanging on to every word. she’s one of the rare authors who can give me chills just from her writing alone.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD!!! Sabaa is an amazing storyteller, but she does not pull her punches and may very well make you cry. Heir returns to the world of An Ember in the Ashes, but following a new generation of characters in a wider world. It has strong romantic elements and weaves together the stories of three characters and a new evil in the world. One of the characters is Helene's nephew and the heir to the throne! Great world-building and character development, solid pacing, and an ending that makes you want book 2 asap.

I will say, I saw a revelation coming awhile before it became entirely clear, but I kind of think that's intended. Really enjoyed this and do recommend it! Also, you can read it even if you haven't read the previous series. This is a good place to jump in. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Zana · Rating 5 out of 5]

'His aunt paused, her back to him. “Grief is a strange beast. Some battle it, their souls scarred from its abuse. Some bury it, and live life waiting for it to reemerge. And some tread water, the grief a weight about their necks. Every reminder makes the weight heavier.” She turned halfway, her face in profile. “You and I tread water, nephew. And I would not see you drown.”'

'“...But if we go to our homeland across the sea, we can support ourselves. This is the heart of my holy task—we call it the Return.”

“How holy can your task be if it requires the destruction of another land?”'

“When you sacrifice other people’s children on the altar of your ambition, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be willing to sacrifice your own. That’s how evil works, Aiz.”

---

Out of all the books I've read this year (and I'm a very avid reader), Heir is easily in my Top 5 reads of 2024. Hands down. No contest.

While I'm a huge fan of the An Ember in the Ashes series, I barely remember the details from those books. But I do love the overarching themes of empire, the responsibility it holds in providing for all the different groups of people living within its borders, and its role as an enforcer of safety and security (mainly for the ruling class). Which is why it's one of my favorite series.

I was very surprised that it was totally possible to read this book without actually remembering every single thing that happened in the previous series. The entirely new cast of characters AND the new locations provided almost a clean slate for me to work with. Sure, our favorites, Laia, Elias, and Helene, do show up. But they're all grown up now and fulfill important roles as secondary/tertiary characters.

In Heir, you can definitely tell that Sabaa Tahir's storytelling and writing abilities has vastly improved over her previous series. I was so absorbed in each MC's chapters, no matter how morally grey, or absolutely repugnant, or completely idiotic their thoughts and actions turned out to be. (No spoilers!)

As a lifelong hater, it's easy for me to find faults in anything I read. But if you can get me invested in an MC's downfall without me completely writing off the character, then you've got me good.

And Sabaa Tahir really grabbed my attention with all three MCs: Aiz, Quil, and Sirsha.

The pacing was perfect. There were a lot of action scenes balanced with slower paced scenes where you learn more about the characters, their world, their histories, and their relationships. This is one aspect that a lot of fantasy (especially YA fantasy) authors struggle with, but in Heir, Sabaa Tahir managed to find the perfect balance so that I wasn't bored or frustrated with how fast/slow things were going.

The worldbuilding was excellent. Each place that was featured (Kegar, various locations in the Martial Empire, the Tribal Lands, etc.) had their own vibe and was written descriptively enough that I could easily imagine it in my head. The characters were three dimensional. I loved how they read authentically, and not as contrived caricatures and tropes. (This is another thing that YA fantasy authors struggle with.)

At this point, I usually start complaining about several things I didn't like. But Heir blew me away that I don't have any complaints. And if you know me, that's a totally out-of-character thing for me to say. Well, the Martial Empire was pretty much nerfed to all hell in this book, but let's not go there lol

I absolutely cannot wait for the second book to drop. Take your time to cook, Ms. Tahir, because I really, really want to be blown away again.

Now, where can I get my hands on a special edition or two?

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc.

---

As a Sabaa Tahir stan, obviously my review will be extremely biased. But my god, this just became one of my new faves.

I want a map of this world to hang up next to my Witcher world map and Westeros map.

[❋Rushna❋ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely return to the AEITA universe💙 As a huge fan of the original series, this was so fun to read and I appreciated all the little easter eggs. Not only did I love seeing familiar faces appearing two decades later, but I adored these new characters too. There were multiple POVs but it was balanced so well because the story slowly comes together as the POVs change throughout the plot.

Quill, Sirsha, and Aiz’s stories were all so connected together and I found it difficult to let go as I got closer and closer to the end. They are each different but complex in their own way, and very well written. I don’t want to give anything else away. But I purposely took forever with this book because the writing really gripped me by the neck and I was enjoying it way too much to put it down💙 The magic system, plot, romance, tension, and fast pace had me hooked in from start to finish.

After that ending, I am absolutely starved for the second book and cannot wait for it to be out😭 Sabaa expanded on the AEITA world so much and even left a lot more for us to think about. I’m genuinely curious as to how everything will be wrapped up soon because I just want all my favs to be happy for once🥲

If you haven’t read AEITA yet, what are you even doing???? Okay, you don’t need to read the series to understand the plot of Heir, but I would still highly recommend it (whether you read it before or after). Not just because it has emotional element to the original characters and the vivid account of the world preceding the plot of Heir, but because it’s such a good series on its own with amazing world-building and twists. For those who did read AEITA, it’s not required to reread the series but c’mon you could might as well😏

A million thank yous to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review💙

[Destiney Bomberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
DO NOT READ BEFORE AN EMBER IN THE ASHES OMG! So many spoilers !!!

[mads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tell me a dream, little love."

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

➳ 4.5

TW: abuse, adult/minor relationship, alcohol, blood, body horror, child abuse, child death, classism, colonization, death, death of a loved one, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, genocide, gore, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, medical trauma, mental illness, sexual assault, sexual content, sexual harassment, sexual manipulation, torture, violence, vomit, war.

Completely unsurprising turn of events: Sabaa Tahir has written another fantastic book.

In other news, the sky is blue.

If you're someone that loves YA fantasy but has been feeling disillusioned by how generic so many new books have felt lately, I completely recommend picking this up. The world-building, the magic system, the character motivations; every bit of this novel was incredibly well-done.

Every book that Sabaa Tahir writes is a masterclass on how to make readers feel. She does everything with so much heart, that even the worst characters elicit sympathy from the reader because she shows us all of them - not just the parts that make them easy to categorize as hero vs. villain.

Heir was no different. In fact, the entirety of Heir's plot stems from the complicated decisions we make to survive, to protect those we love, and at what point those sacrifices become unforgivable.

It took me a bit to find my footing in the story, but once I was a few chapters in, I remained invested for the entirety of the novel. From that point forward, there wasn't a single moment where I lost interest or wished we could switch to a different POV - a feat with any multi-pov story.

As for the plot itself, ow :) Sabaa Tahir let your characters experience happiness challenge. (Except actually, I love how her books don't shy away from actual! negative! experiences! and grief unlike a lot of other YA books.)

I can't say much without spoilers but every single time a character from AEITA was mentioned, I reacted like it was my Infinity War. I need to do a reread of that series, because holy cow, I didn't realize how much I missed all of them.
A minor critique here - trying to avoid giving anything away - there was one character from AEITA that showed up and I wish they had been given a bit more agency in this book? If that makes sense.

The only other thing (kind of an addition to that last point) I want to touch on is that I found it difficult to connect with the main characters. I don't know what it was and I can't put it into words exactly, but out of all of Sabaa Tahir's characters (all of whom I adore) I felt the most neutral on these. Don't get me wrong, I still love (most of) them and when they were experiencing intense emotions, I felt for them. But something was missing in comparison to how her characters usually make me feel. (I have a feeling that will get better in the next book.)

I'm grateful for every arc I get approved for, but I'm not exaggerating when I say I actually cried when I received this one. Sabaa Tahir's words have meant so much to me for so long that the opportunity to experience this story before its release meant a lot to me.

Overall, I went into this with high expectations and they were all met. This was spectacular in all of the ways I hoped it would be and I need book 2.

Pick this up in October. You won't regret it.

[Silvy · Rating 5 out of 5]

the year is only half over and i already know that heir is going to be my favorite of 2024, and were it not for the ember in the ashes quartet i read last year, my favorite of the last 5 years.

THIS BOOK. IS EVERYTHING. if i was granted three wishes by a benevolent fairy, i’d burn two of the three on immortality for both sabaa and i so i’d never have to be without a new release from her. the third i’d spend lobotomizing myself every year so i could reread her entire catalog all over again for the first time.

i love this series, this world, and this author, and heir met every single expectation i had and more.

heir tackles the story of a character from the ‘ember’ world, but all grown up, burdened by the responsibility of his title, his empire, and his family legacy. we meet quil — also known as zacharias — as an adult, struggling to bear the weight of the martial empire, the expectations of his aunt, and his own desire for freedom. the story dovetails beautifully with POVs from new characters aiz, a downtrodden orphan in a far-flung kingdom, on a holy mission desperate to save her people, and sirsha, a former jaduna-turned-tracker-for-hire, given a deadly and dangerous mission to hunt down a murderer plaguing the kingdom by killing young children in horrific, brutal ways.

as the story comes together — replete with cameos from beloved characters from the ‘ember’ series — sabaa gifts us a story that will make you rage, weep, and cheer, with painful, heartwrenching parallels to today’s political climate. how far is too far? there’s a quote from ‘heir’ that will live with me forever — “when you sacrifice other people’s children on the altar of your ambition, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be willing to sacrifice your own.”

5 stars. infinity stars. the entire night sky’s worth of constellations. sabaa is a true kehanni herself, writing stories that are so hauntingly beautiful they stay with you for years after you’ve read them, and heir shines just as bright as the original ember series.

AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS SACRED IN THIS WORLD, DO NOT READ HEIR WITHOUT READING THE EMBER SERIES FIRST, PLEASE. i promise this will hit a thousand times harder emotionally if you’ve already familiarized yourself with this world and these characters.

absolutely magnificent, moving, and beautiful in every way. many, many thanks to netgalley and penguin for the absolute privilege of reading an advance copy. counting down the days until it releases and i can put it in the place of ‘made me sob into my coffee’ honor on my shelf.

[Sue Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was that Ending!!!!!!!
Wow!

Tahir, in one book, gave a crash course in how you write an engaging upper YA fantasy! and the keywords here are YA and Fantasy
* no overly descriptive paragraphs that go on and on and on to the limit of boredom
* no stretched plot and then BOOM last 50/100 pages hold all the action! I mean the last 100 pages are packed, but the engagement is from page 1
* characters that are well-rounded, flawed, and somewhat relatable
* an engaging world-building where the reader has a part in piecing the puzzles. No pieces were missing. Though set in the An Ember in the Ashes series (and I have not read that one yet), I was not confused by the kingdoms and characters.
* a damn hot romance - Quil is my new bookboyfriend😍😍😍😍😍
* The plot twists that were really mind-blowing and served the narrative, not there to be there for effect

I will not put any spoilers cause you deserve to read and be outstanded just like I was.

I have to say that some points felt ambiguous and unresolved, but I really didn't care cause the overall theme and pacing were superb.

Also, this could have been a standalone...I don't know why that ending happened! but, again, I do not care if book 2 will be like this one 😍😍

Though the book tackles many themes:

1. Power and Its Corrupting Influence
2. Identity and Self-Discovery
3. Loyalty and Betrayal
4. Legacy and Inheritance
5. Resistance and Rebellion
6. Love and Sacrifice

my favorite was Moral Ambiguity and Ethical Dilemmas

Heir does not shy away from exploring the gray areas of morality. Characters are frequently faced with difficult choices that have no clear right or wrong answer. These ethical dilemmas force them to confront their values and the consequences of their actions.

Many times in the book you would ask yourself "would I do the same? maybe"
and that is what I loved

The story challenges the notion of absolute good and evil, instead presenting a world where characters must navigate complex moral landscapes. This theme is particularly relevant in the context of the series, where the lines between oppressor and oppressed are often blurred.

When you sacrifice other people's children on the altar of your ambition, it's only a matter of time before you'll be willing to sacrifice your own. THAT'S HOW EVIL WORKS 😭😭


No one can manipulate those with faith like a person who has non

[Carleen ☾ ☀︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

˚｡ ⋆୨ “When you sacrifice other people's children on the altar of your ambition, it's only a matter of time before you'll be willing to sacrifice your own.” ୧⋆ ˚｡
꒰ ✨👑⚔️📖⛓️ ꒱


╰┈➤ 4.25 stars!

⪼ Pre-read ೃ⁀➷⚔️✨
I can't wait to absolutely devour this on release day. Ember in the Ashes got me hooked on fantasy back in early 2023. I also heard some old characters might show up?! GAHHH SO EXCITED 🤩

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Started: 6/22/25
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Finished: 7/4/25

𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼:
➳ Found family ➳ Hidden magic ➳ Slow burn romance ➳ Forced proximity/marriage ➳ Quest/ adventure ➳ Assassins & vengence ➳ Religious fanaticism

𝓐𝓽 𝓪 𝓰𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮:
➳ YA fantasy with romantic subplot, first in a duology
➳ An Ember in the Ashes spinoff (HIGHLY recommend reading this prior)
➳ Medium to fast-paced plot with action and adventure
➳ Slow-burning romance with forced proximity and marriage
➳ Spice (🌶️ 0.5/5): Mild and steamy, not explicit and fade-to-black
➳ Unique and expansive world with diverse cultures
➳ Multi-POV, 3rd person narration
➳ tw: Genocide, colonization, child death, violence, murder, war, classism, grief

𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂:
An orphan. An outcast. A prince. And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, Aiz has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her tribe for an unforgivable crime, Sirsha is a down-on-her-luck tracker who speaks to the earth, air, and water to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But then, she falls for a charismatic and inconvenient fugitive who keeps getting in her way.

Quil is the crown prince of the Empire, nephew of a famed and venerated empress, but he's loath to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. As the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

“Because you're so afraid if you feel something, you'll actually have to do something. And that if you do something, it will be the wrong thing.”

────⋆.˚ ✩ ⋆˙⟡────

𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀:
I got into a major reading slump (not the book's fault, life has been crazy lately), so this took forever to finish. But by god did that ending knock me off my feet and throw me for a loop!

╰┈➤ Plot and Pacing: 4 stars ✰✰✰✰
➛ Right from the get-go, the plot moved at a steady, quick pace. It was also action-packed without having prolonged fight sequences. Sabaa relied on her previous books in the Ember in the Ashes series to establish her world. So there was not much world-building in the beginning, which was nice at first, but I almost wished I had reread the previous series before diving into Heir. Could you read this as a standalone? Perhaps, but you will definitely be missing crucial information.

There was a central mystery to the story, and at the halfway point, Sabba introduced another element that, low-key, blew my mind. The plotting near the end was very clever, and I cannot wait to see how this story ends.

╰┈➤ Characters: 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Aiz
➛ Aiz’s story was heartbreaking from the start, and I immediately sympathized with her character. She’s suffered so much loss and grief, and her thirst for vengeance is strong. Her character arc was so incredibly unique as we witnessed her descent into darkness. She was a difficult character to like near the end, but that was the point.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Quil
➛ Quil is mourning the loss of two people he feels responsible for. He is struggling with the weight of the empire on his shoulders. Not wanting the crown he is set to inherit, and conflicted about his parentage, Quil wants to run away (and I don't blame him). His friendship with Sufiyan was so strong, trusting, and heartwarming. And his chemistry with Sirsha was off the charts!!! His quiet dedication and protectiveness for the people he loves... swoon 😍.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Sirsha
➛ She was such a bad ass FMC (and my favorite!). Her complicated past with her family makes it hard for her to trust. She avoids letting people in, afraid of being cast out or found unlovable. She spends her time tracking down marks for money. When a mysterious client offers her enough money to escape, she jumps at the opportunity. A chance meeting with Quil changes the course of her life. Forced to spend time together, she discovers that she may find a family who will love her just the way she is.

╰┈➤ Setting and Writing: 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰
➛ I love Sabaa Tahir's writing. The setting felt so diverse and expansive, with different locations and cultures. Not too overly descriptive, but she gives you just enough. She is a master storyteller with this immersive and layered novel with amazing characters, a gripping plot, and intricately developed world-building.

╰┈➤ Themes: 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰
➛ Heir delves into themes of legacy, found family, loneliness, and trust. It also explores religious fanaticism and colonization, and how leaders defend horrendous actions for "the good of the people." It was interesting to witness the character arc of the villain, which is a unique spin compared to other novels of this genre. We were able to witness how good intentions could still lead to bad deeds. Sabaa was able to convey these themes with incredible nuance despite being a YA novel.

╰┈➤ Emotional Impact & Enjoyment: 4 stars ✰✰✰✰
➛ Comparing this to Ember in the Ashes, this story fell slightly short with the emotional impact. I remember bawling at the ending of Reaper at the Gates. I shed perhaps one tear reading this, but nonetheless, I still immensely enjoyed it. I think if I had read this quicker, I would have enjoyed it better. I've been busy lately and honestly didn't want to read anything, hence why it took 2 weeks to read this. Might have been the right book, wrong time. BUT I am still rating this high.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

╰┈➤ 𝓑𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓸𝓶-𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮:
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Sabaa Tahir can write YA fantasy like no other! Expanding on the world from An Ember in the Ashes, Heir delves into themes of legacy, found family, loneliness, and trust. With the perfect mix of action/adventure, romance, magic, villainy, and heartbreak, this is a must-read for fantasy readers. With the return of some beloved characters, Heir has a nostalgic quality that will hit you in all the feels. Highly recommend!

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“No one can manipulate those with faith like a person who has none”

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars!

Bleeding Skiessssss, it’s back!

Thank you to Netglley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is by far my most anticipated read of the year. For anyone that has known me on Goodreads there are a few books/series that have my whole heart and one of them unsurprisingly is An Ember In The Ashes, as soon as I knew this was coming I was desperate to get my hands on it and was super lucky to be able to get one!

So about Heir, this takes place around 20 years after A Sky Beyond The Storm ends and we’re following a whole cast of characters. I don’t want to go into too much detail in regard to what happens per arc so I will try to stay vague and not mention any major plot points whiner I’m at risk of spoiling certain aspects!

We have Aiz who you see is in a rough patch, she’s an orphan who loves her city and wants it to thrive and goes to great lengths to protect her people in anyway that she can. She’s a storyteller and on a mission to find out one more story to complete the tales. I found her chapters the hardest to get through for around 45% and I can’t quite put my finger on why and I think that overall this dampened my reading experience because I’m SUCH a character driven person and I just didn’t enjoy her for so long. I do have to say that her story arc did improve for me and I enjoyed the unravelling of it all.

Let me tell you. There is something about how Sabaa Tahir writes her characters, and the love I have for Quil was pretty much automatic! I found him to be so likeable and so endearing, you can see where his training with Helene and Elias has come in and he has the quiet aura but where you just know he could take plenty of people out. His relationships were SO interesting, seeing him with his friends who are like a solid unit and how they work together and then his involvement with other characters along the way. I really like the depth that he has, you see his protectiveness towards the people he cares about and when he cares for someone he cares for them deeply, he’s struggling with his responsibilities and what he must do but feels like he can’t say no.

Finally we have Sirsha who is a really interesting character. She is a Tracker who uses the elements to help her be guided to what she seeks. She’s also on the run (kind of), from her family and if she sees them there will be hell to pay. I think you really get a good understanding of her characters, she’s been through a lot and finds it hard to trust, she puts on a very sarcastic front but deep down you can see how much she cares and she holds onto things and puts a lot of blame on herself. She feels deeply and you can see she’s trying not to!

Now onto all of the little bits!

I would say that it is necessary to read An Ember in the Ashes before reading this, there are so many little tidbits bits and nods that as an Ember fan I absolutely adored. I think knowing what happened in Ember makes you understand characters motives and because we do see a cast of characters from Ember you’d kind of be spoilt so just bear that in mind.

Just speaking of Ember, I LOVEDDDDDDD the parental vibes we got and how protective they are of the children and seeing Helene really trying to help guide Quil but also this sense of protectiveness. In one of the chapters it talks about something that Quil saw from Helene’s POV and honestly I thought I can’t go through the trauma of all of this again, but I ATE IT UP!

I do think the “twist” was slightly obvious, although I found it obvious I still enjoyed it because I think I could point out the why’s and then it raised more questions for me throughout. Speaking of the twist I do think that for anyone who liked the aspect of The Nightbringer and the unravelling of who they were then you’d really like this aspect as their is a person ripping out peoples hearts, but who is it and why?!

There’s something about Sabaa Tahir’s writing that draws me in and once I’m invested I don’t want to put it down. At the start of the month I found it hard to read and was so excited because I got an arc, but luckily the slump was no more and I could really dive in deep for the later half, so I think upon reflection this may go to 5 stars once I re-read (because I always love a good re-read!)

Overall a great start to a new series, I think that seeing new and old characters with all of the different dynamics, time jumps and a few different character POVs. I’m super intrigued for what’s to come! I honestly could write so much more but I’m trying to avoid spoilers like the plague! For anyone that loved Ember, I hope that this is just as good for you!
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STOP EVERYTHING, MY FAVOURITE SERIES IS GETTING A SPIN OFF?!

I CANNOT!!!

La la la la la la la :) :) :) :)