Sabaa Tahir is such a fantastic fantasy writer - her world building, her characters - she is amazing.

Sabaa Tahir has done it again! Heir is a masterful return to the world of An Ember in the Ashes, weaving together a spellbinding tale of vengeance, power, and destiny. Set 20 years after the original series, this new duology introduces a fresh cast of characters while still capturing the rich world-building and high-stakes drama that made the first series unforgettable.

From the very first page, I was hooked. Tahir’s writing is cinematic, immersing readers in a world filled with political intrigue, deep-seated betrayals, and breathtaking action. The pacing is expertly handled, slowly building momentum before exploding into a whirlwind of tension and revelations.

The heart of this book lies in its three central characters:

🔥 Aiz – A fierce and complex protagonist whose devotion to her people is both admirable and terrifying. Her journey is filled with morally gray choices, making her one of the most intriguing characters Tahir has written.

⚔️ Sirsha – A snarky, sharp-witted tracker who stole my heart from the moment she appeared. She’s a survivor, doing whatever it takes to get by, but her reluctant alliances and slow-burning emotional depth make her arc deeply compelling.

👑 Quil – The reluctant prince who carries the weight of his family’s history on his shoulders. He’s caught between duty and his own fears of becoming the kind of ruler his people despise, making his internal struggle incredibly compelling.

The world-building is richer than ever, expanding on the cultures, magic, and legends of the Empire. The story effortlessly blends action with deep emotional stakes, and while the romance is present, it never overshadows the greater conflicts at play.

And that ENDING—I was not ready! It left me desperate for book two, and I have no doubt Tahir is going to break our hearts even more.

If you loved An Ember in the Ashes, Heir is an absolute must-read. Even if you’re new to this world, the storytelling is so gripping that you’ll be swept away immediately. Tahir proves once again why she’s one of the best fantasy writers out there. I cannot wait to see where this series goes next!

Another out of this world story from Sabaa Tahir!! We’re back in the Ember universe following the next generation of leaders, and it was like immediately coming home to one of my favorite worlds. There was no shortage of action, creepy characters, exquisite world building and a delicious slow burn romance. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the sequel!!

A destitute orphan, a crown prince, and a magical tracker walk into a realm...

This book was stunning! Manages to take three very different characters and several different timelines and weave them into something powerful. The world building is complex and lush while staying approachable and believable, which is no small feat.

And as with many duologies, my jaw was un-HINGED by the end and I will be furiously updating for a release date for book two.

I want to start out by saying I have not finished the an ember in the ashes series. I have only read the first book and I didn’t realize when I requested this art that it was building off of that series. That being said, you can definitely read Heir without having read the entire previous series.

This book was much more focused on large political machinations of several countries and has multiple perspectives with a large cast of characters. This did originally make the book very difficult to follow but once you get further in, it becomes a lot clearer what is going on I got a lot more invested in each of the plots.

I absolutely loved most of the characters and really enjoyed the development they had throughout the book. It’s a really great mix of large scale political plot lines and smaller scale interpersonal plot lines.

It’s a very intriguing high fantasy about religion , international politics (in a fantasy world ofc), magic, and identity. If you like intriguing high fantasy with complex characters and really unique societal structures - this is a great read!

WE ARE BACK BABY.

This was super fun. I have mixed feelings about the Ever quartet. I do love the first two books in the series, but the ending fell off a bit for me. That said, Heir is a super fun journey through the same world. If by fun you mean equal parts horny, emotionally devastating, harrowing, and disturbing! Annnnnd I do! A great adventure and I can’t wait for the next book.

Sabaa Tahir can do no wrong! This book has phenomenal character development, the pacing is wonderful, and it has a twist you won’t see coming!

Such a thrilling story! Sabaa Tahir makes such an exciting and rich story with amazing characters. You will NEVER see the twist coming, it was so exciting! I can't wait for the next book!

The character development in this story was great. I loved all the different point of views we got to see. It was good to see more diverse characters. The ending though got me I can’t wait to see this story continue.

Sabaa Tahir hit the mark with this one. There are no words to describe how great all three perspectives were in this book.

I did since gasps out loud and to reread bits to make sure I read correctly. That's how good this first installment of her duology is.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Set in the world of An Ember in the Ashes, 20 years later, Quil is the heir to the throne. Reluctantly. Aiz is doing her best to fight for her people but one mistake has cost her everything as she’s thrown into prison. Sirsha is an outcast due to a crime she committed but her magic of tracking has caught the eye of someone important. In this story, three separate young adults will be on a journey of their own, but all paths will cross eventually.

*spoilers ahead*

This book was so great to get back into Tahir’s world. I loved AEitA and to see some familiar characters is amazing. With that, I could not imagine picking up this book without reading the series this is interconnected with. It relies heavily on the world building and the magic system. I loved all of the action in this book! I loved the new villain and Quil is a great MC. I don’t know if I overlooked it or if it wasn’t obvious to me, but I had to google to find out there are two separate timelines we are looking at. I kept trying to follow the story and would be so confused how Quil was in to separate places! This might be on me though. Once I had it straight in my head, it was smooth sailing from there. Tahir is a master of storytelling and her worlds and characters are so rich! Overall, I give this a 3.5/5 stars but it may change on a reread because I now know what I’m getting into!

PERFECTION.

Heir is set 20 years after the Ember in the Ashes quartet. We meet Aiz, Quil, and Sirsha as the three main protagonists. This book was well written. The pacing, the plot, the romance, literally everything was perfection. I loved the minor scenes we get with the original trio: Laia, Elias, and Helene. The plot twist in Aiz POV was so smart and well executed. The romance between Quil and Sirsha was amazing as well. Especially the fake engagement/marriage scene OHMYGOSH. Safe to say that this will probably be one of my top reads of the year and I hate that we won't get the sequel in 2025 BUT I will wait as long as I have to because Sabaa Tahir's books are always worth the wait.

Thank you netgalley and Penguin Teen for approving me for the arc! **Please approve me for the sequel!!!**

NO ONE, and I mean no one, can write a villain like Sabaa Tahir. But the villain in Heir is a covert one that made me more angry than perhaps any other villain I’ve read to date! Prepare for FEELINGS.

Heir is a new series that takes place in an interconnected world to her previous YA fantasy series, An Ember in the Ashes. Can you read this series without reading Ember? Yes. Would I recommend that? Absolutely not. For me, personally, I connected to this story MORE with the established relationship I already had with the characters from Ember that are present in this novel as well and getting to see the next steps following the resolution of that series, 20 years into the future. It was very satisfying seeing our beloved teenaged characters now as adults (though I wish Helene had played a larger part in the story out of pure selfishness!)

Though in the same word, the story that unfolds in Heir is something entirely new, bringing in new locations, magic systems, and narrative themes (specifically the corruptive power of religion) previously unknown which kept the story feeling incredibly fresh and NOT just Ember in the Ashes 2.0. What does feel familiar though, is Sabaa’s character work which is stand out in this series as well. Sirsha is no Helene, but I thoroughly enjoyed her character and can’t wait to see what comes next. I enjoyed the romantic pairing in this novel significantly more than Laia and Elias.

I had a solidly good time reading this story and will definitely be continuing on in the series though there was something I can’t quite put my finger on yet that kept it from reaching 5 stars. I am very interesting to see where this story ends up!

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read an early review copy of Heir.

Sabaa Tahir continues with the amazing writing and story telling as she releases another amazing fantasy story.

The characters were very well fleshed out and talked to each other so well. It made it very easy to root for our main character.

There were a couple slower parts that dragged just a tad but overall I found the pacing to be pretty medium and I never lost interest.

I truly enjoyed Heir and am so thankful to have received an advance copy to read and review!
I only held off on giving my full review because I realized I needed to read An Ember in the Ashes series prior to. While not entirely necessary, reading those did help add context to the world, the politics, and the characters. Without the context of the other series, Heir is still entirely enjoyable and a very nicely paced book. The character development is so good, but having the extra knowledge from the other books did help add context.
I love how all of the perspectives are written and you are able to follow to story without having to pause and figure out who is who. The story is concise, but definitely will keep you in your toes!

This is my first book by this author. As a YA fantasy, it was definitely entertaining with a good ending and the REVEAL. This is a great book to dive into that definitely evokes emotional responses. This is one of those books you will want to binge - to devour. Overall, a great start to a new series, I’m definitely intrigued for what’s to come! A book that is highly recommended. Thank you to NETGALLEY and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this! I absolutely loved all the characters. Until I got to the big reveal/plot twist, I thought to myself about how much I liked all the characters and non of them were unlikeable (however that eventually changes for obvious reasons). I thought the continuation of the two series was very well done and I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces.

I am beyond grateful to Sabaa Tahir, NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this opportunity.

There are few works in literature that have their reader fully under their spell.

Sabaa Tahir weaves a spell-binding story about a group of people, from the most diverse backgrounds, on their respective journeys to attain a better world for their respective people. We view the story in dual timelines, where the past carries the air of an orphan character in pursuit of freedom of her people with the help of a divine force. In this process she comes across the brilliant prince and heir, who is the common thread that ties the reader between the past and the present.

The intricacies of the story makes us question, who is the real enemy? A dark force, that wreaks havoc and chaos across the world of Heir, appears to have a totem in this world who remains hidden until the very end. As the Heir of the empire sets to save his kingdom with his closes allies, he comes across an outcast, who is one of the most powerful entities with regards to the magic she carries. Can the prince trust her? What is her ultimate goal? Will she ever have redemption in her own home?

Heir is a gripping tale of strangers, each carrying the burden of expectations of their people and themselves, ultimately trying to save their world. It is a tale that resonates deeply with the eternal reality of our world, where oppressors and oppressed continue to struggle, and the choices the oppressed may face about their path to freedom. It is a masterfully written story that carries elements of magic, fantasy, anger, hatred, courage, sacrifice and a passionate romance that is neither overbearing or distracting from the ultimate story. This was one of very reads that I could not keep away and ultimately purchased a hardcopy.

I don't read fantasy as much as I used but this book was amazing and I'm excited to see what happens in the next book.

4.75 stars

A really great start to a new series!! I don't think I liked this one as much as An Ember in the Ashes, but I had a lot of fun with this. I loved reading the individual povs and how they ultimately come together as the plot develops. The romance was *chef's kiss* and I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the characters in the next book!

I definitely think that you're going to have to read/know the world and plot of An Ember in the Ashes because this story relies on the information from the first series.