Once again, Sabaa Tahir crafts a spellbinding tale full of intricately layered characters, and a powerful plot. Heir is a phenomenal start to a new series set in a world fans know and love.

If you haven’t read the Ember in the Ashes quartet, you can still read Heir and follow the story; it follows new characters and takes place 20 years after the events of the original series. That being said, the cameos, hints, and nods to past events and characters will resonate with you more if you’ve read the original series.

Where to start? How does one review a Sabaa Tahir book?

The writing is phenomenal. Trust me, you’ll never want to put the book down. And the characters, oh, they stole my heart—which was no surprise. Sabaa knows how to create lovable characters you root for and feel attached to. The found family between the characters warmed my heart (gosh, I love them).

I could go on and on about how great this book is, but, trust me, you’ll never should pick up the book and find out for yourself. Go on this journey with the characters and I’m sure you’ll feel the same way I do.

📢WARNING If you have not read An Ember of the Ashes quartet, this book has SPOILERS of the series.

Other peoples reviews said that they don't know what the heck is going on because of not reading the first Quartet first. Personally, even reading the series, I still didn't.

I will come straight out and say, I DNF'd this book not long after completing a few chapters. It didn't help that I just completed the An Ember Of the Ashes quartet. So going into this with high expectations was probably my one mistake I made.

This world was...confusing. The first POV's world we got introduced to was rushed and introduced to a world that felt so different than the Quartet. Where it would take weeks to get anywhere in this world and now we have magical flying craft. Where having powers were rare and now almost EVERYONE has some kind of power that wasn't explained.

The POV's.
What I truly appreciate about the Quartet was the slow build up of characters POV's. We didn't immediately have three. But introduced to one, then slowly another, and then another. Each of these characters POV's were introduced in the other POV's. So you felt like you got to know them well before their own chapters. But this....felt like a info dump of these people and I had no clue as to what is going on. On top of that, new worlds that weren't properly explained. It was like you were expected to already know what is going on.

Gaps of Info:
Something I noticed about the Quartet that there would be moments where it seems that the fast forward button was clicked. There would be a paragraph of This and This Happened oh and this very important emotional side character that was used to moved the plot is now dead. So in one paragraph...she pushed someone in the water, she was grabbed, briefly mentioned that she lost her shoes and somehow ended in the dungeon. I had to read that section several times to understand what happened. If you space out at all or decide to skim, you will not know how in the world you ended up where you did.

I might revisit this book in the future because there are many people saying that they love this book. So I am hoping that maybe, I am just not in the right headspace for it. But at the current time, this isn't for me.

This book is a fantastic continuation of the world established in An Ember in the Ashes, but I highly recommend reading the original series first to fully appreciate its emotional depth. Jumping into this without prior context might dilute the impact of its intricacies.

The story is packed with rich political intrigue, mesmerizing magic, and intense battles, all set against the backdrop of a rebuilt empire. The expanded perspectives brought so much life to the narrative! In addition to the familiar core characters, we get glimpses into the minds of others who play pivotal roles. Sirsha quickly became my standout favorite, though Quil’s chapters were equally compelling.

The plot is masterfully constructed, with twists that are both surprising and satisfying. While some moments were foreshadowed, they were executed with such finesse that they remained immensely enjoyable. And that ending—what a way to leave readers hanging!

Now, the long wait for the next installment begins, and it’s going to be agonizing. This series just keeps getting better! Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review!

If you read An Ember in the Ashes series, here is another great series from author Sabaa Tahir.
while Heir introduces you to a new generation of characters we also revisit the richly Martial Empire
Overall, Heir is a story about power, love, and the lengths we go to protect those we care about. With. Non stop action and great plot twist.

*Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

DO NOT START THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE "AN EMBER IN THE ASHES" SERIES. While you technically *can*, it's not going to hit as hard emotionally.

There was so much political intrigue, magic, and fighting, all set against the rebuilt empire. I loved the varied perspectives - it wasn't just the core 3, we got cameo PoVs from other important characters as well. And moreover, I found the characters' perspectives to be more interesting than those in EitA. Sirsha was hands down my favorite, though I loved Quil's as well. The plot twists were so well done in this book! While I picked up on the foreshadowing for some of them, I truly enjoyed each of them in their own way. And the ending, THE ENDING!!!

Now I finally have to wait to read the next book and it's truly going to be torturous.

Everything Sabaa Tahir touches turns to immaculate gold. Heir is no different! If you loved Tahir’s Ember in the Ashes series, you’ll dive right into Heir, though its not required reading.

3 stars ⭐️✨.

While I tried to get into this book, I felt like it had too many characters to pay attention to. I really enjoyed An Ember in the Ashes, but I overall prefer one or two point of views. However, this is still a pretty good book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-book arc.

WHAT

More formally, I want to thank Penguin Teen for making my dreams come true and gifting me with an ARC of this book, but all opinions are my own!

I’m OVERWHELMED by how incredible of a writer and a storyteller Sabaa Tahir is. I don’t ever enter any of her books anymore expecting anything less than absolute perfection because I’m never given anything else.

This story follows Aiz, Quil, Sirsha, Cero, Sufiyan, and others as the Empire is faced with yet another enemy threat. I wasn’t sure where Aiz and Cero’s storyline was going, and I wasn’t prepared for it to hit so hard when it all came together, no less when I was just starting to have a giant heart swell moment. 40% in and good luck putting this down, friends!

“May I present Zacharias Marcus Livius Aquillus Farrar, future Imperator Invictus and Overlord of the Realm, current Lieutenant Commander of the Imperial Army and Sovereign Crown Prince of the Martial Empire.” -otherwise known as Quil, lol. I’m such a sucker for multiple-titled heroes and Quil is no different. I just wanted to memorialize that.

I think the thing I love the most about Sabaa Tahir books is that they are so vulnerably raw and real that you don’t get the option to just “look away.” I think in today’s world it’s so important that books like this exist because it is a reflection of the world in a way we often don’t want to see it. So many trials and heartaches to overcome, and there’s not always a happy ending for everyone involved.

Speaking of the ending, WHAT !!! I wasn’t paying attention to my reading location so when I turned the page to “Acknowledgments” THE SCREAM I SCRUMPT!!

TLDR I loved this, definitely read An Ember in the Ashes quartet FIRST, come back and devour this one, and let’s all praise the incredible story in these pages.

I love everything that Sabaa Tahir has ever written, her pen is like no other and I loved that this allowed us to renter the amazing world that was previously built.

This was my first Sabaa Tahir book ever and I had no clue what to expect but I am glad to inform, I was very pleasantly surprised.
The book follows Aiz, Sirisha and Quil all following different goals of their own. This book I heard is also set in Sabaa’s older series world. But I haven’t read it so I went in treating it as a new book in a new world.
This was an amazing read to say the least. There are very few fantasies that are as good in the plot as they are in character growth. The book gives the found family experience with an epic storytelling.
Without spoiling anything let’s just say you are in for a ride. You will love the characters, the world and the plot. Definitely recommend.

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to have read an early copy of this book. The Ember in the Ashes series is one of my favourites.
Tahir kept true to her style of world building and character development in this book. I truly enjoyed being re-immersed in the Empire and revisiting old friends. The new characters we follow in this story were complex and developed organically as the story progressed and they were also quite varied from one to the other. There was a good amount of tension, angst, trust, and mistrust between the characters and nations. Like always, Tahir knows how to weave a story that manipulates the emotions of the reader - the reader could laugh, cry and throw the book across the room all in one chapter.
The story takes us into the depths of a people and nation previously unexplored. The trials and tribulations, as well as their hopes for the future and what they will do to get there is clearly depicted and well executed.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next instalment. Given that it ended so openly, I may be in distress until then.
I recommend this book to people that have read and enjoyed An Ember in the Ashes and the rest of the books in this series since it does carry on in the same world and some of the characters from there get a good amount of page time.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada (Penguin Teen) for a digital advanced copy of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

3.5 stars - I knew I was going to enjoy this novel overall; you cannot really go wrong with a fantasy novel from Sabaa Tahir. Everything I expected from the book was there: the well-developed characters, the interesting world-building, the romantic leads - all elements I came in expecting to enjoy which she delivered. While this is a spinoff of the An Ember in the Ashes series, I do think you can read Heir without having read them, but you might just be missing some little key moments to understand easter eggs and backstories of the older characters (which isn't totally a big deal, but I want to mention it because it would definitely bother me if I hadn't). WHile I enjoyed pretty much the entire reading experience, my main problem with this book is its overall "twist", which I found was revealed too early and sort of killed the suspense of the book's main plot. (And without diving into spoilers, I also hated the character this twist surrounds). Overall, I think any fan of Tahir will enjoy this and I will be continuing on in this series despite my one gripe!

It is with a heavy heart that this was a DNF from me at around 40%. I didn't care about any of the storylines or characters enough to warrant continuing the book.

Heir by Sabaa Tahir
Pub Date: 10/1/24
Format: ebook/audio hybrid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh Sabaa, how I love to let you hurt me! This was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year and it absolutely did not disappoint. I decided to go into this book blind and, while I knew it would be connected to the Ember in the Ashes quartet, I didn’t realize just how connected it would be. It was like coming home & also opened old wounds and I loved every second of it.

Tahir’s writing style is utterly gorgeous. She will both fill you with hope and also rip you apart with equally beautiful sentences. I just love how she writes in this way without being pretentious or overwhelming. She has a way of digging into your soul and making you feel these shared experiences with her characters even though they’re from a mythical and magical world. It’s really what sets her apart to me and why I will read anything she writes.

This book really hurt in parts. It examines grief and greed and love and everything in between. It is an epic adventure and lots of characters like the Ember quartet, but it somehow felt a little softer around the edges which made it stand on its own as well.

I cannot wait for the second book in this duology! Highly recommend picking this one up!

AHHHHHH This is my favorite book I have read this year!! Sabaa has done it again! Incredible characters with even better storytelling. I always feel so compelled by Sabaa Tahir's writing and this was no different. Aiz, Quil and Sirsha were all distinguishable characters that I loved to read about. I was worried some of the characters would be painfully like the ones from Ember, but they truly stood on their own. I am very excited to be tormented by this series for the coming years!

Wow just wow. Amazing starter for this world, I know is the same one as the other series, but I havent read that one yet. . Loved the multiple point of views. The twists and turns were so good. The two timelines gorgeously done. How well and easy it was to follow the story as well. The story felt very natural and fluid. Definitely enjoyed every second of this book and I was left wanting more . I cant wait for the second book

This book was a great continuation from An Ember in the Ashes quartet. I like how it's not set too far in the future from the events that transpired in the first series. The multiple POVs kept me engaged and I enjoyed getting to know each character. There were quite a few plot twists that shocked me. Sabaa Tahir is incredible at making the reader feel an entire range of emotions with her writing. I love her prose, it always flows beautifully. My one big gripe about the book is that it's marketed as though you don't need to read the other series prior to this one and I heavily disagree. This series contains huge spoilers for An Ember in the Ashes quartet and I highly recommend reading that series first if you don't want to have major plot points spoiled for you. Overall though Sabaa Tahir knocked this book out of the park as per usual and I can't wait to read the second book in this series!

" 'Sometimes the power of a story is greater than anything else on earth.' "

Our Kehanni, Sabaa has brought us this beautiful bounty in the form of Story! 🤤❤️ So worth the wait.

It's hard to imagine a book could be as wonderful as the Ember In The Ashes quartet was, but this was like coming home... Yet discovering so much as happened since you left!

Heir takes place 20 years after the events in A Sky Beyond The Storm.

We mostly follow four POVs in this book, and all of them are strong, have a distinct voice, and add to the story well.

Quil, Helene's nephew and the reluctant Heir to the Empire.

Sufiyan, Laia and Elias' eldest son, who is deeply impacted by grief and struggling to find his way.

Sirsha, a tracker on the run from her past, who barrels headlong into her future.

Aiz, an orphan who is willing to die to avenge her people.

There's almost no one who writes multiple POV books as well as Sabaa does. The threads weave together so perfectly (and painfully) as we get deeper into the story.

This book broke me, in so many wonderful ways. Right near the beginning I had many sad tears brought on by memories of the last series, and my broken hopes for these characters.

(I know it's marketed that you can read this as a standalone, but so much of the emotional impact wouldn't hit imo)

It isn't all sad tears, there were moments of reminiscent family love between Helene, Elias and Laia that also had me sobbing in a good way! I don't want to scare you lol.

This book, as always with Sabaa's work, blends tragedy on a nationwide scale, with the humanity of personal suffering, while being comforted by the blanket of familial love.

I cannot wait for everyone to get their hands on this book. Every star in the sky for this one, 5 stars doesn't cover it. My expectations were so high, and I was not disappointed.

I LOVED this book! It's probably one of the best books I've read this year. I loved the story, I thought it was so well-thought out and executed with all of the twists. I literally cannot wait for the next book!

And she’s does it again. Another masterpiece for the collection. Heir is a beautifully written spinoff from An Ember in the Ashes. Weaving in so much history and world building and still adding more, it’s extraordinary!

It was so nice to see some of my favorite characters from the original series, as well as meeting a slew of new characters that were just as dynamic and wonderful as the OGs. The multiple point of views painted a full picture while also keeping you on your toes the entire time. It really helped you bond with each character and make you feel as if you were part of the crew. I hope we get to learn more about some of the side characters in the next one.

Overall, this was an awesome read and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers, and Sabaa Tahir for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.