Oh my goodness!!! I anxiously awaited this book and Sanaa DID NOT disappoint!! This was everything I could've wanted and more. 5 stars.

Sabaa Tahir truly gets better and better and being back within this world instantly felt like coming home again.

This book is not for people who are not already obsessed with the Ember in the Ashes Quartet. I hadn't read those books, and I assumed that because this was marketed as a book 1 this would be a good place to start with the world. It wasn't. It is entirely unwelcoming to someone who isn't already familiar with the worldbuilding and characters. It repeatedly left out important worldbuilding info and left me very confused.

I think that most of the people who are going to love this novel are the ones that are already in love with the characters from the previous books (as the glowing reviews here on Goodreads demonstrate). There's many characters from the first series that come back, and you get to see where they are now. For me, I felt like it was boring and annoying to have the flow of the story repeatedly interrupted by these obnoxious cut ins.

The new characters are likewise boring. A big part of this was the balance and pacing between them. We have three narrators, and are constantly switching between them. Just when I am slightly interested in one plotline, we are ripped away from it. By the time we made it back around, I had stopped caring about the character again.

Thanks to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

INFINITE STARS! ⭐️

SABAA!!

Before diving into this new stunning and action packed romantic fantasy, please I BEG YOU to read An Ember in the Ashes series. Although this story follows different characters you get to see many from that series all grown up and navigating a new world.

This story has me gripped from the start. It wonderfully weaves together multiple POVs until their stories intersect. It’s fast paced, action packed, and a masterpiece in storytelling. My jaw UNHINGED itself many times throughout the story at the unexpected twists and connections.

It’s filled with politics, war, family, romance, friendship, magic, the weight of duty, and so much more. You find so much depth and history in each of the characters, both the main ones and the side characters. I could not turn the pages fast enough to finish.

I am waiting with bated breath for the next book and conclusion to this story.

I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love how Sabaa has expanded the world in the sequel series to An Ember in the Ashes. We learn more about the world’s magic and the different ways people have been using it. We learn more about the cultures of countries that are only hinted at in the first series. And of course theres an awesome cast as always. I’m so excited to continue with a new series in a world I already love. Any Ember in the Ashes fan will love this.

I absolutely adored this book! An amazing continuation to her first series An Ember in the Ashes (which I also thoroughly enjoyed). I loved following multiple characters and being able to get glimpses of the core group of people from the first four books. The storyline was great and I cant wait to see where it goes from here.

When I saw Sabaa Tahir was writing another novel in the Ember in The Ashes universe, I thought "Sign me up, I'm ready to be hurt again." I was not disappointed. This story is set in the same world as Ember in the Ashes, but 20 years later and follows new characters (Quil, Sirsha, and Aiz). Though there are a lot of familiar faces as we go through the story. I don't think you have to have read the original trilogy to understand Heir, but it would help.

Quil is going to be the next emperor of the Martials, and he is wondering if he can be the heir his people need. Sirsha has been banished from her people, and she takes a dangerous tracking job to track down a murderer. Aiz is from the slums of her city, but she believes in the prophecy where Mother Div will return and save her people.

I really liked this book, but I did have a few qualms. It wasn't until I was like 30% through the book that I was actually hooked. I also thought the storytelling device of having staggered timelines was actually very confusing. I also felt like the characters from the original trilogy should have grown more since it's been 20 years.

Even though I had a couple of issues, I loved this book. I loved returning to the world and seeing what had changed. The characters were fresh, and even though they were powerful, they weren't depicted as all-knowing and all-powerful. I hate when I'm reading a book and the character is 18 with no faults because they are the chosen all-powerful one. I'm going to be hanging on until the second book is released.

Thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

OH, it feels GOOD to be back in this world.

Some quick housekeeping: while this can technically be read as a standalone, I highly, highly recommend reading the original "An Ember in the Ashes" quartet first. This is a new story, but it is built entirely on the bones of what came before, and I think readers would be missing out on a lot of nuance without that base. Plus, it's a good series, so why not?

Next, eep! If you liked the original series I think you'll like this. It has the same high-stakes vibes, tense romance, morally grey moments, and tight pivots that made the original books shine. This story expands the world and the magic system in a way that I really enjoyed and felt true to its roots while being its own unique tale. It also played with the narrative and construction in a different way. I liked getting to know all of the characters, and didn't mind when the chapters switched to a new point of view (generally). Overall, this was a delight to read and I am so, so grateful that Tahir returned to this world.

Really enjoyed this fantasy. Ive liked her previous series, and this was also fun. Nothing groundbreaking but still a good time with good characters.

A massive thank you to Penguin Teen for an early copy of this book! Reading this early was a dream! 😊 I LOVED this! UGH and I’m never going to get over the ending of this one 😭. An Ember in the Ashes is one of my favorite series and I was so excited to go back to that world. I loved that characters from the past series were involved and the new characters I fell in love with instantly. I loved Quill’s character and the emotional depth all of these characters had. I loved how emotions drove a lot of this book and the characters. Not to mention the love story was one of the cutest things ever! This was such an immersive read and I’m impatiently awaiting the next book 😅🥺

I'm so so so glad Sabaa Tahir let us go back into the Ember world, no matter how much she continues to hurt our favorite characters. Heir is set 20-ish years after A Sky Beyond the Storm, but unfortunately, all is not calm and well. We meet a lot of interesting new characters, and by extension/relation, we also get to catch up with some of our favorites (some more than others). But the emphasis is definitely on the new characters.

As with an Tahir story, it's a dark one. There's war, death, torture, etc. Our favorites are not excluded. Overall, this was really well done book. However, if I'm going to give any criticisms (and why I took off the one star) it's because I didn't love the execution of how the older generation was handled. I think VE Schwab with her Threads of Power (a continuation of the Shades of Magic Series) did a better job of blending new and old characters. If you are hoping to spend a lot of important time with Elias, Laia, Helene or Musa, you won't. This book is primarily focused on the new characters with the old characters popping up and definitely playing second fiddle.

It's not to say I didn't enjoy the new characters. I really did. I think the journey they are going on is really captivating and I'm so excited for the sequel. However, I just hope to see more of the characters we all fell in love in the next book.

I am sitting here baffled by the masterpiece I just read. As a BIG fan of the An Ember in the Ashes quartet, the start of this duology excited me. It seamlessly brought back the rich magical world while introducing new and complex characters. I felt immediately pulled in by the magic and multiple points of views and romance and duplicity. I was in suspense basically the entire time, and the end left me even more excited for the next installment. This book is so worth reading for all the above reasons!

Thank you NetGalley for the digital advanced copy!

Thank you to Penguin for an ARC of one of my highly anticipated reads for this year!!

I've been a huge Ember in the Ashes fan since the book was first released, therefore I've been the biggest Sabaa Tahir fan since her debut novel. I've always had a special place for the EITA series, that hearing about this book made me way too excited. And tbh, this kind of lived up to the hype for me. While I of course love the original cast, I do love the new character's we're introduced to because they are so similar to the characters we love. I thought the plot of this series was already much different to what we got in the first series, I loved seeing the point of view from the 'villain' and the little twist before we realized who Aiz's character really was (but I knew right away teehee.) I love the relationship between Quil and Sirsha, already giving an older version of Laia and Elias. The pacing did seem a bit off and that would be my only critique so far. The beginning and the middle almost felt dragged on, while the end I feel was a bit rushed. I do also think there should be more of a recap of the previous series as there is quite a bit to remember to get into this book.

All in all I really did enjoy this book and I'm already itching for book 2.

Gods, it started out so good! I was feeling all kinds of nostalgia for the setting. I loved being back in the AETIA world. But overall, this series just lacked the same beauty that AETIA delivered. The characters didn’t have the same kind of depth. I didn’t feel emotional over any of them. I didn’t hurt for them or cheer for them the way I did Elias, Laia, and Helene.

To put things in perspective:

I devoured the first half of this book in three days and loved it.

…The second half?

Hated it!!

It took me two months to finish because I couldn’t bring myself to pick it up. I almost DNF’d multiple times after that point. Literally skimmed the last 20% just to finish.

The biggest problem? There’s a HUGE plot twist reveal at 50% that allows you to literally guess the entire outcome, effectively removing ALL THE SUSPENSE. I was ZOOMING along and then BAM. It was like slamming into a brick wall. I went from devouring to hating the story.

Heir follows three characters. Aiz, Quil, and Sirsha.

I loathed Aiz. I got red flags from her from the very beginning, when she was jealous of her best friend, and ostracized him for getting a coveted position she wanted, simply because his magic was stronger than hers. Instead of supporting him, she felt betrayed and jealous. After that, the red flags just kept coming. She was an AWFUL person, and reading her chapters made my skin crawl. But once you reach her plot twist at the 50% mark it was 100% ICK from there on out.

Sorry, but when 1/3 of the book is made up of a character that disgusts me, and the others are also lacking in the depth I require, I just…can’t. Hence, why it took me two freaking months to finish this book.

The bones?? The bones were pretty good! The plot was good. But…I just need more.

I hate comparing this to AETIA but…

Anyway, I hope others enjoy this more than I did. I know I’m in the minority here.

5 ⭐️ .... all the stars honestly

I want to first preface that if you haven't read An Ember in the Ashes series and are wanting to, this book could spoil that series. I have read the entirety of the previous series.

I absolutely loved this book so much. I didn't realize that this was going to be basically picking up where that last book on until ember of ashes left off years later and now the prince is grown up. He is getting ready to take the role of emperor but is very hesitant to do so. I still love Helene as a character and it was great getting to reconnect with her.

This story mostly follows prince Quil, his comrades and a hunter Sirsha. Sirsha is hunting a killer that is killing young kids and put a stop to it. Quil goes on a journey after his home is attacked by a neighboring continent. This story was so much fun to follow and I really loved seeing everything come together. Sabaa is an incredible writer and I'll read anything she writes.

If you loved Ember in the Ashes, you'll love jumping back into this world and won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I am such a huge Ember in the Ashes fan, that I was so so excited about a new Sabaa Tahir book. However, this book just didn't do it for me the way her other books have. First, I think its really important for people to read her first four books first before diving into this. I have to still finish Sky Beyond the Storm, so this book was full of spoilers, but also a little confusing. There are so many character perspectives, which usually I do not mind, but in this case found it only added to the confusion.

That being said!! I HIGHLY reccomend people read this AFTER they finish the Ember in the Ashes Quartet. I think this book almost reads as the "5th book" In that series.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved coming back into this world and absolutely loved these characters. Seeing familiar faces was like a warm hug too! This action=packed unique story was so enjoyable; I can't wait for the conclusion!

This was a very enjoyable read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in return for a review.

UNSURPRISINGLY THIS WAS PERFECT.

I’m a huge fan of the Ember quartet, so I was both thrilled and also a little trepidatious about going back into this world, but I should’ve known I was in great hands with Sabaa Tahir’s storytelling. The most incredible storytelling, nuanced characters (including villains!) with fascinating, complex backstories - this story had me racing through the pages and now counting down the days until I get to read book two.

A quick note - this is a spinoff duology set in the same world as Ember. While Tahir insists that you don’t need to have read Ember to read Heir - why wouldn’t you?! The plot line was made so much richer by knowing the backstories of these characters and their families, and I absolutely love how deftly she took us back to a familiar world without it feeling like a sophomore slump. By all means - read this book alone if you haven’t read Ember. But more emphatically, let me convince you to pick up Ember asap!

This book opens with ruthless action that made my heart nearly stop! I don't think I've been as engaged and committed to a book from the beginning in a long time. Tahir has an incredible talent for crafting distinct characters and plotlines that are seemingly disconnected and then slowly braiding the stories together into a complex story.

Heir follows three protagonists; an orphan, Aiz, who has faced tragedy that fuels her vengeance to escape prison and save her people; an outcast, Sirsha, who has been brutally banished by her people and must use her magical tracking abilities to survive; and a prince, Quil, burdened with the yoke of leadership and haunted by mistakes and the loss of loved ones. These three young characters are brought together by an evil murderer, a dark war, and a threat that can bring an empire to its knees.

Despite the dark and ruthless danger and action, Tahir makes her characters so REAL with humor, pride, desire, jealousy, rage, and love. This fantastic book has friendship, romance, magic, hidden identities, betrayals, and complex characters. I loved every second, and cannot wait for the conclusion to this duology. All the stars!