Heading back into the world of 𝘈𝘯 𝘌𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 series was simply magical.

Sabaa Tahir is one of the very best at world building as she doesn’t drone on and on; she merely sets her story in a fantasy world of jinns, spirits, scholars, masks, martials, and Magic, and sets the action rolling immediately.

You’ll meet Aiz, a poor ‘snipe,’ orphaned and imprisoned, trying to save her people and yet enamored with a spiritual entity.

Next up is Sirsha, a tracker who uses magic, abandoned by her clan, good with knives, with a sense of humor and spice.

Last is Quil, nephew to the empress, next in line for the throne, skilled Martial, intelligent and compassionate, close to or related all the three leads from the last series.

Excellent evil entities to fight, heroic battles, fantastical skills, tears and trauma and tragedy - this book has it all! I could not put it down, and can’t wait for the finale!

You don’t have to read Tahir’s first series to understand and love this new book, first in a duology. And while it’s marketed as a YA, I find it’s only because the lead characters are older teenagers. It reads adult, tho keeps the love story at a minimum with closed doors, and focuses on relationships during war.

Thanks to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy!

An amazing followup to the Ember in the Ashes series, Heir is absolutely epic. I love Sabaa's ability to write amazing and engaging stories with strong women. While this was said to be a standalone duology, I do think it's necessary to read EITA first.

I can not even describe how beautiful, gut-wrenching, and adrenaline inducing this book was. To be back in this world, I love so much, but with new to me characters having new adventures? Perfection. This author has gotten exponentially better with each release, and this was no exception.

Talk about a book hangover!!! I am obsessed with these characters and how their lives intertwine. Grab your tissues because you will not believe the twists and emotional turns.

I have been a fan of Sabaa Tahir since the moment I picked up An Ember in the Ashes. Her writing is beautiful, emotional, and captivating, and it was no exception with Heir. And one thing that I admire the most is that she doesn't pull any punches. All her books leave me emotionally scarred, but also evoke hope and love for her story and her characters. I'm excited to continue to read more in the series and more from Sabaa Tahir, overall. 5 big fat stars.

I went into this not realizing that it’s set in the same world as An Ember in the Ashes. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that everyone’s favorite characters were back for this new series, only older and wiser.
This takes place twenty years after the conclusion of An Ember in the Ashes series.
It follows Quil, Helene’s nephew and the crown prince. Aiz, an orphan set on vengeance for her people. And Sirsha, an outcast and one of the renowned magical trackers who hunt people down, for a price.
They couldn’t be more different. Their backgrounds, their way of life, their status, where they live. But wheels are set in motion and these three unlikely allies are sent on an epic quest that will explore love, loss, adventure and magic.
This is a heavy book at times with themes of oppression, facing injustices and fighting with all you have for a better future.
Although this can be read without previously reading the Ember series, I STRONGLY suggest reading Ember first since you’ll be missing vital information about the world and characters. Plus, you’ll get more of an impact seeing the characters and where they are 20 years in the future.
This is a beautiful story that any fantasy reader will love. Tahir is a master of her craft and weaves together a seamless tale of bravery, friendship, grief and love.
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Heir was absolutely incredible. The Ember series is one of my all time faves so it was a lot of fun to see the legacy characters all grown up (and my age) while also getting to see more of the world than we did in the quartet. Our three new characters held their own and I really enjoyed witnessing how their paths crossed with the other characters, new and old. Aiz was probably that most infuriating and fascinating character I have read about in a long time. She drew a lot of emotion but also challenged my thinking throughout the story. I was captivated from the very first page to the final word and cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel. Bravo Sabaa! What an epic new entry back in the the world of Ember. Go read it today!

🤧💨✨⚔️💙🥹

Heir was SUCH a special read after a few years away from the Ember in the Ashes series. I love this universe so much! The Heir duology is a spin off of Ember and takes place well after Ember’s conclusion. We follow three main characters as their lives become intertwined and forever altered.

I found the start of this duology immediately captivating and immersive. The pages of this story gripped me and I lost myself in them easily. Sabaa’s flow of smooth, eloquent writing and digestable yet wholly unique world building make it incredibly hard not to. I truly did not want it to end! I was also wildly intrigued by the introduction of new, as well as expansion of familiar, magic system elements from Ember aaaand... recognizable settings and characters...!

You can also expect power struggles, invasion x war, forbidden magic, lovable characters, fierce friendship and banter, high stake missions, and titillating romance. Duplicity and cunning. Valor and honor. Oh, and Sabaa’s signature plot twists that come literally out of nowhere. The best kind!

AND. If you plan to pick this up, please, please, please consider reading the Ember series first. Heir will mean so much to you that way!

Thanks so much to Penguin Teen for the early copy 💙

Sabaa Tahir is legendary. I loved this book so much, and the fact that it took place in the same world as AEITA made me so incredibly happy! Some themes were a little heavy and relevant to today's world, but I still got swept away in this story. Just be sure to mind your content warnings!!!

I started the book without knowing that it´s set in the world of An Ember in the Ashes and I was having a good time until my *wife*, the Empress herself Helene Aquilla. After that, I had a great time. Do I wish Sabaa Tahir was nicer to my favorite characters? Maybe, but it was all overshadowed by the surprise and happiness of getting to see them again. So yes, I might be a bit biased when I say I love this book, but I think everything is explained well enough that anyone can jump right in, even if you haven´t read the original series.

The characters, as usual, are amazing, well-layered, and just overall fun. I have a hard time choosing a favorite, Aiz who wants a better life for herself and her people, Sirsha is on the run and trying to get out of the Empire, and Quil, the Crown Prince struggling with the crown and the secrets that come with it.

The story has a pretty slow start, it took me a bit to get into it, mostly because I was wondering why these characters and what they have in common, but after everything comes togheder and it all makes sense it was a pretty fast-paced book. I think it might just be me, having a hard time getting into a story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the eARC.

This was my first fantasy by Sabaa Tahir and boy was it something. The hype around this book is so real. I really need to slow down with my fantasy books to better understand the world building - but this is no fault of Tahir. Really, really well done

This was my first book by this author and it was so good!! I can see why there is so much hype around this book. I usually don't love YA books but this one is amazing.

Heir is a beautiful tangled web of a story, and I enjoyed how each piece came together, but it took me significantly longer to read than any other 500 page fantasy. The first third is a lot of world building and info dumps - I had a difficult time following all the different people and places, and had to take notes to keep track of who belongs where and what magic they have. But then all the threads started connecting and the last half was impressive to see how the mystery came together.

The story kept me guessing throughout and the twists were exciting. When the reveals started happening around 75% in, it felt like the story was wrapping up, and may have here if it was a trilogy. The last 25% really felt like the story was coming to a close until the final chapters that opened up the storyline for the next book in the duology, and I am looking forward to seeing where it goes - and glad I kept extensive notes so I can pick right up.

- You can expect -
Serial Murder Mystery
Big Twists
Diverse Mythologies
Wide World of Magic
Bond of Convenience
Forced Proximity
Only One Room
Multi, 3rd Person POVs

This was hard to rate as it was difficult for me to get through, but I did really enjoy the story, so wavering somewhere between 4-4.5 stars. This series is from the same universe as An Ember in the Ashes, taking place 20 years later, but is its own story. Helene is a recurring character, and Sabaa said Ember is also in it, but as I have yet to read it I did not notice her. I have been wanting to read Ember for awhile, so will definitely slide it up the TBR before book 2 releases.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for providing an eARC for my honest opinions.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the e-arc!
This was one of those anticipated reads of the year! I absolutely adore the Ember in the Ashes quartet, and when I saw that there was another book in the same universe coming out, I immediately prepared! This is in the same universe as the original series but following the next generation of characters. We fall the children of some of our favorite characters from the original series as they embark on a new journey through the Martial empire. I would definitely recommend reading the original series before this as it gives much-needed context to the world and the characters.
As usual for Sabaa Tahir's books, the character work and world-building are immaculate. I expected nothing less after how amazing the first buck was but I was really blown away by her ability to take this familiar world and bring so much new life. The three main characters are extremely interesting, and my favorite ended up being Quil, who is Helene's nephew. I'm so excited we get to see some of our favorite characters from the first series and an opportunity to continue with such an amazing world.

I really enjoyed going back to this world. I was such a fan of the Ember in the Ashes series so when I heard about this new duology, I needed to get my hands on it! Since this was just released I won’t give away anything, but I loved meeting all the new characters and getting glimpses of some of the old ones. Well written and interesting premise! Definitely recommend for fans of the first series! Thanks to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Stop it right now. I will never understand how I was approved this. It I will forever be grateful. This book was incredible. All of the stars. Everyone. And now I need book 2

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Ahhhh! A return to the "Ember in the Ashes" series...While "Heir" could be read as a standalone, I highly recommend starting with the previous books. Even with the fact that I had read the last series, part of me wished I had reread them again for full effect of this current story. The flashes of the characters that starred in the first books, and remembering their saga was a brilliant addition to this book.

We have three voices in this book. Aiz: the orphan with rightful revenge filling her heart. Quil: heir of the Martial Empire and nephew to Helene. Sirsha: a tracker hired to locate a killer brutalizing children.

All the characters in this book had so much depth! And the world building continues its genius of the last series. There was so much to love (and hate!) in this book. My only complaint, can we ever end on a happy note? sigh. Now we must wait for the second in this duology! I will definitely be listening to this on audio...

4 stars

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I'm happy to report that it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. In fact, I need the sequel like yesterday. Please Sabaa Tahir. I got so spoiled reading the Ember in the Ashes series after it was all released!

Anyway. This was an excellent continuation of the world of The Ember in the Ashes. Set 20 years after the events of the quartet, a new threat is looming over Serra and its allies. Some of our old favorites from the previous series are here, but we also have a great set of new MCs: Quil, Sirsha and Aiz. Similar to Ember, these characters come from different walks of life, brought together by different circumstances.

The world building was great, building on what Tahir already created for the quartet I loved that we got to explore new parts of the world and meet new types of people. The magic system is excellently done (though I still have some questions; maybe to be solved in Book 2). The parts of the book that didn't work as well for me (including some of the cheesy parts) I chalked up to this being Young Adult and not geared towards me. And that's totally ok. It does not in any way diminish the experience of the book as an adult reader.

I think you *could* technically read this before Ember, but why would you? Plus, there are major spoiler for the quartet, so really I think it's best to read this after. That said, if you haven't read the quartet in awhile, I don't think it's absolutely necessary to re-read before picking up Heir. Unless you really want to!

One of my most anticipated reads this year is 𝙃𝙚𝙞𝙧 by Sabaa Tahir and I can happily confirm that it delivered everything I hoped for! In 𝙃𝙚𝙞𝙧, we return to the world of 𝘼𝙣 𝙀𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨 about 20 years after the events of that series. It felt both familiar and new, and I was so happy to revisit!

This is an emotional rollercoaster of a book that nicely blends magic and adventure, but it’s the characters that really shine. I was instantly invested in their stories and their journeys, and it was so nice getting to see some familiar faces! Elias, Laia, Helene, and more. I tried to make the book last, but I ended up devouring the whole thing in just two or three sittings. Sabaa delivers a captivating story filled with likable characters, rich world-building, shocking revelations, and of course it wouldn’t be a Sabaa Tahir book without a little bit of emotional trauma. What can I say? I loved every minute of it.

It's sort of hard to write a review for a book that was so masterfully written and crafted because I feel any words I have will fall short. Heir is a natural extension from the Ember in the Ashes series in that it expands the world while also telling a familiar story of love and loyalty and betrayal. Tahir is a master of nuance and character development where the fantasy elements enhance deep and interesting characters you both love and despise. I think the important thing is that you understand where everyone is coming from even if you disagree or it rips your heart out. Maybe it's because I so recently read Ember because while I do think you could read this book without the original series, it so clearly is an extension of the themes and characters from the first (with a heaping amount of generational trauma) that I think you reading experience will be made so much better with the understanding from the original series.

Tahir really knows to pull at your emotions. I was smiling and crying and nauseous along with the characters in this book. What a storyteller Tahir is. Weaving timelines and pov and intentions throughout a book that was both long but made me screaming for more at the end. It's hard to get through a long series and want your characters and friends to be happy and then read a book where their trauma continues but this time with the youth. There are a lot of deep things that this book is trying to say while also being something filled with passion and love and friendship and I could really go on and on. This book broke my heart maybe even more than the original series but I also think it is clear that Tahir has only grown as a storyteller.

When I tell you, I cannot wait to see what the second book in this duology will offer because...woah.

Thank you So much to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.