ok wow this book was so much information and storyline and I was HOOKED.

the way you got to know the story as you went and everything just built up to a big plot line reveal… it was perfect! it was definitely a book that required focus, but I just loved the characters and the way you really got to know the villain so you could understand more behind the ‘why’.

love Quil, love Sircha, and can’t wait to read more from this author!

Heir is part one of a multi POV duology with a unique take on an elemental magic system and beyond. The characters are amazing. The tracker is hilarious, the orphan is heartbreaking, and the Prince is swoony. This is set in the same world as Ember in the Ashes and you get to see many of the surviving characters and it’s just incredible. And the writing OMG!!!! I can’t believe I have to wait for the second one. Pretty please send me an ARC for that one too because I AM OBSESSED!!! This is easily one of my all time favorite books.
∞⭐️ 2🫑

3.75/5 stars

What an incredible book. This book was everything a complex fantasy should be. It was such an awesome read start to finish.

This book takes place 20 after the an ember in ashes series, which is something I was not aware of going in. But I loved the series so it was a pleasant surprise. I went into this completely blind and it was so worth it because I had no clue where anything was going, which added to my experience.

The three main characters this book follows are all so interesting and I was so invested in their individual plots as well as how they affected each other. I loved watching their relationships grow and change.

This book has everything one could want in a fantasy, It has strong and unique female characters, complex relationships, and found family. This book eloquently handles grief and what it does to a person. I love the morally grey areas of this book.

Unfortunately this book fell apart for me a little bit in pacing and it was pretty predictable. But these flaws did not entirely subtract from the novel as a whole and did not take away from the story.

Overall great read and I cannot wait for the sequel!

I feel terrible having to give this book one star because I had such high expectations for this.

Sure it was packed with adventure, but I seldom ever knew what was going on. Things happened too quickly.

I did not know this was an extension of the authors other series, and since I haven’t read those I was so lost in the terminology. I wish the synopsis stated that this is 20 years later and should be read after the series. I know some people said you don’t have to read the other series, but the author uses so many terms she doesn’t state the meaning of (because clearly readers should know these from before) that I was constantly confused.

Maybe someday I will read her other series and reread this one, but for now I am disappointed.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

I had jittery nerves starting Heir by Sabaa Tahir. It's so tricky to dive back into a world after the story has wrapped up, and not every author does it well. I am happy to report, Tahir once again slammed it out of the ballpark! We pick up 20 years after the events of the Ember in the Ashes quartet, following the various descendants of the main characters we got to know and love. I don't want to say much more on the plot as it will spoil the first series. But it was done so well and I was thrilled to see them appear here and learned what happened in their lives. Like visiting old friends.

The pacing was a bit slow to start and I was confused about where the story was heading with the three different POVs we get. How will they intersect? But it quickly picks up and the way it starts to come together is brilliant. After the 40% mark, I had to finish it in one read. Ends on a cliffhanger as to my favorite character's final fate so I will impatiently await the second in the duology but it will be a long, slow suffer! I can't believe it will only be two, I have so many questions.

4.5 stars, rounding up to 5

Heir by Sabaa Tahir

If you have ever read “Ember in the Ashes” you likely will LOVE this book. It is set into the same universe. Fans of her original series will have the opportunity to experience the setting they know through new perspectives, with surprise appearances from beloved characters.

I didn't hundred percent know what to except and wasn't too disappointed. I have not read a high fantasy since high school probably. It was not hundred my cup of tea but it was an enjoyable read.

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

Heir follows the lives of a vengeance seeking orphan, a hopeful outcast, and an exiled prince as they seek out power and love in a world of danger.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication October 1, 2024

For the record I literally screamed when I got the email that I was approved for an arc of Heir! Are you kidding me? Talk about excited!

Overall I’m giving this 4.25 ⭐️ I don’t normally give 1/4 stars but this is certainly better than only 4, but it didn’t quite hit that 4.5 ⭐️ mark for me.

Heir takes place twenty years after the final book in the An Ember in the Ashes series, and follows Quill, Liz, and Sirsha. While some say reading the An Ember in the Ashes series is not required, I’d have to disagree. Yes, technically you’ll be able to follow the story without it but you’ll miss out on a ton of background information and connections to characters from the original quartet. It’s been about a year since I finished the original series (so not that fresh in my mind) and I think that contributed to some of the disconnection I felt with the story.

Heir started a little slow for me, it wasn’t until about the 30% mark that it really picked up to that “can’t stop reading” pace that Sabaa Tahir does so well. I think we could have done without some of the POVs in the beginning but overall I had a really great time with this one and cannot wait for the second installment!

Expect…
- adventure
- politic machinations
- laugh out loud banter
- a swoon worthy romance
- twists and intrigue to keep you guessing

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

That distant screaming you hear is me eternally grateful to Tor and Penguin for granting me an ARC, and yet howling that the sequel is even further out. The gasp I gusped when I read the final chapter!

Y'all, this was INCREDIBLE. From the get go, Tahir wraps you up in this world. Told in alternating chapters with Aiz, an orphan wanting freedom for herself and her people; Quil, the crown prince; and Sirsha, a tracker who may have more up her sleeve than she shows, all of these characters are so lifelike and lovable, but so understandable at the same time. While you may be looking at a few of their choices and going, "My FRIEND!" you also understand. Tahir makes sure you get their desperation, their devotion to their families and their people, the wanting of a better life.

It's hard to talk too much about this series without saying more because the characters intersect in ways you can't predict and when one twist is revealed, you're left going, "hold on a minute, Tahir!" I loved it, I read it at work and got to that part and went, "holy crap!"

Set 20 years post the Ember in the Ashes series, this book does not contain any spoilers for that saga, but I would recommend it to enrich your reading and understanding of this world, not that Tahir throws you in the deep end. We do see a few of the EitA characters, and it's so cool to have followed their journeys from that series to here, but I will let you encounter them.

I cannot recommend this book enough, it might be my top read of 2024 and it doesn't even come out until October!

So apparently, I'm allergic to realizing when series are spinoff series, and I might have gone into this one unprepared again.

Heir returns readers to the world of An Ember in the Ashes through three main, intertwined POVs. It's been probably 4 or 5 years since I read the original series, so I'll be honest and say that I probably missed a LOT of easter eggs and familiar characters, but I think this book was enjoyable on its own, too.
The story follows three "different" plot lines and characters. Aiz wants to free a "goddess" of sorts; Quil must defend his empire from a new threat without becoming the monster that was his father; and Sirsha is on the hunt for an assassin who murders children by ripping out their hearts. I really enjoyed the plot twists because they were delivered so nonchalantly (meanwhile, my annotations are in all caps), and while I did call a lot of them, I was super excited to see my theories confirmed. I also loved how the 3 narratives tied together by then, and I can't say too much without spoilers, but there's a plot line that gave major Immortal Longings vibes, and I was so excited for it.
Of the POV characters, I think Sirsha was my least favorite. Her backstory was intriguing, and I still liked her a lot, but I didn't connect with her. I thought Aiz was super interesting, and her character arc was incredibly well done. Quil's POV was my favorite, mostly because Sufiyan was my favorite character overall, and I wanted every chance to see him that I could. I also really liked Arelia and Cero as side characters. My only issue character-wise was that I didn't love the romance. I think it's just a me thing because Sirsha and Quil match a lot of popular tropes; it just felt a bit insta-lovey and yet still lacked a little chemistry?
Heir is the first novel in Sabaa Tahir's new fantasy duology and it promises beautiful writing and exciting plot twists to create a wonderfully woven story.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4.25/5

screaming crying throwing up 😭😭😭

thank you thank you thank you to penguin teen for the advanced ecopy <3

SABAA DOES IT AGAIN SABAA WHY DO YOU TORMENT US TO FEEL ALL THE EMOTIONS

I literally just finished this book and I don't even know what to do with myself. I'm a huge fan of anything Sabaa writes -- I mean Christ, Sabaa could write something on a napkin and I'd cherish it. Heir only reinforces how much I think she absolutely kills it when it comes to YA Fantasy.

The story, the characters, the world-building, the romance, UGH -- *chef's kiss*. I really did try and pace myself with this book because I knew it would end on a cliffhanger, but I ended up flying through this. I love when authors are able to nail down the moments where they know the reader will sit there and just be like OH (with your brain connecting everything and just exploding). And wow, there are so many of these moments.

The characters are excellent and every time the POV switched I was just like no!! but immediately sucked in to the next POV. I will always be a sucker for strong, badass women MCs who will nEvEr FaLl iN lOve, which Sirsha perfectly emulates. The way the three MCs stories tie together is just flawless.

I did not read the synopsis before the book and I kind of wish I had 😭 I don't think its a spoiler but just in case || I had NO IDEA this was connected to Ember in Ashes until the very end. That's on me for sure, I haven't read those books in years and thought this was a completely unconnected duology (even though I should have recognized the character names, meep morp). Hype because it means I am now going to immediately reread them, but very sad because I absolutely would have reread them before reading Heir had I known!! ||

Anyways, off to preorder this book <3

I enjoyed this read! I loved the characters, the twists, and overall world building. I need to read Ember in the Ashes for sure now! Thank you penguin teen for the arc.

I have not read Sabaa Tahir's earlier books, a thing which is relevant because it has allowed me to read and review this as a new reader, not as an extant lover of the series. It allows me, bluntly, to answer the question: does this book stand on its own?

Answer: yes.

Even without knowledge of the previous series, this book is immediately engaging, fast-paced, and compulsively readable. Sabaa Tahir is a master of the hook, the cliffhanger chapter end, the plot that drags you relentlessly, inescapably along.

In the first part of the book, some of the point of views were more interesting to me than others, which is an issue all multi-POV books are going to have. DIfferent POVs will simply appeal to different readers more strongly. However, by the time the plot lines converged I enjoyed all POV equally. No one is going to mistake the prose here for literary fiction, but this is transparent prose in the tradition of Brandon Sanderson, sure to delight the author's current fans while also bringing new readers to her fold. I recommend for fans of Fourth Wing in particular.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the arc! This is my introduction to Sabaa Tahir’s writing, and after hearing nothing but praise I do feel a bit disappointed that this wasn’t a 5 star read. That being said, I did have a good experience reading this. Let’s break this into pros and cons.

Pros:

The characters. They’re absolutely lovely, and I found myself rooting for nearly all of them. Tahir was able to make me feel the intended emotions towards them when I needed to. There are many of them I love, but Sirsha and Quil are my two favorites, my darling children. I would fight for them so hard. I hope they get their happy ending so fucking bad, actually.

Building on top of that, character arcs. There is a little corruption reveal/arc in here. I love that shit. It’s also so cute to also watch these characters fall in love and learn to be vulnerable. I was giggling little a schoolgirl.

The world building was intriguing. The Jaduna, the tribes and martials, the different lands and landscapes, the masks, magic that comes from death itself, and the different types of rare magics. It’s all very yummy, and I would love to see it expanded further in the sequel. I want to learn more about the different types of magic and the different types of people, like the Jaduna, Fakira, and the Daruni. My hungry ass also loved all the food descriptions, while my artistic ass loved all of the different cultural and landscape descriptions.

I enjoyed the majority of the plot. I was engaged, and once again, Tahir made me feel something when I needed to. The plot constantly kept light of its feet as well, and mostly does not fall into the same cliches, formulas, and pitfalls that occur is many YA series. It’s honestly refreshing, as I’m used to them all being the same. Lastly, I have so many goddamn questions that I want answered in the sequel -a true testament to my engagement. God knows how long I’ll have to wait to get much needed answers.


The cons:

A common cliche in many YA series, but too many coincidences. Just because some things can happen, doesn’t mean they should. There are some characters that by all purposes should be dead, and they’re just not? Bro

People rave about Tahir taking risks and crushing hearts, but I didn’t really feel any of that emotion here. I typically don’t emote when reading books, and I thought this book would move me, but it didn’t. I didn’t cry, scream, hyperventilate. Also, I genuinely believe Tahir could have taking more risks. Everyone is safe here. That being said, my favorites are fine (ish) and I don’t want anything happening to them specifically lmao. I need a happy ending for Sirsha and Quil; I love them too much.

I have some issues with the ending that I won’t discuss in this review for obvious reasons

Following that, with the way the book ended, I am scared that the sequel will contain a central plot line too similar to one of the central plot lines this first book. With the hope that people have in Tahir, and the fact that Tahir is a genuinely good writer, I hope that won’t be the case.


Overall, this was a very good read. I’ll be picking up the sequel when it comes out, reviews pending, unless I get an arc for that too (heehee) -I sure hope so! Honestly, as I settle with my ambivalent feelings on the ending and the ending itself, my rating may change; for now it’s a solid 4 stars.

sabaa tahir you’ve done it again!!! we need to give her all the flowers #some ya fantasy authors get, and then so much more. thank you to netgalley for the arc. Phenomenal work

Thank you to @penguinteen for giving me an early copy of Heir! It was one of my most-anticipated reads of the year, and it definitely delivered.

Sabaa Tahir's new duology is set in the same world as An Ember in the Ashes, but with a whole new crew. It's been twenty years since the events of AETA, and now we're following the stories of our favorite characters' kids. The story is told from multiple perspectives, and the characters are awesome. Quil is such a sweetheart; I loved him from the start. There's never a dull moment in this book. Seeing my beloved characters again was like a warm, fuzzy hug for my soul.

Sabaa is a master Kehanni, and she shows the devastating consequences of greed, and how power can be corrupting to even those with the best intentions. We get to see new kingdoms and magic unlike anything we've ever seen before, but it all comes at a price. There were so many unexpected twists and turns, and I was constantly worried about my favorite characters.

But the romance and the banter between the main characters were everything. I also loved seeing Elias and Laia's kids, and I'm dying to know more about them. I'm on the edge of my seat, wondering what's going to happen after that ending, and I can't wait for the next book!

This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy.

First, thank you thank you thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for this ARC. I followed the Ember journey from start to finish. This is probably my most anticipated read closing out 2024, and as usual, Sabaa did not disappoint.

It’s so comforting to be back in this world with new characters and our old favorites. The Empire has had a 20 year reprieve from the battle with the Nightbringer, but now the world is expanding to reveal new threats. And goodness, Laia, Elias, and Helene need a break. (Also, murderous Elias was hot but murderous DADDY Elias??? Hold the phone!)

Sabaa may write YA, but her books read like adult. They are rich with characters and locations and thematically, they are some of the most powerful out there. The idea of conflict, of belonging, of home and homeland, of freedom and peace, of acceptance…. She does such a beautiful job. It is honestly hard to put into words so I’ll just let the novel speak for itself. Some highlights:

“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.”

“You seek to understand the fibers that make the world,” Loli Temba said, “but not your own pain, nor that of others. You’d be better served understanding the latter.”

“For the people” was a blood-soaked shield brandished by tyrants everywhere.

And my personal favorite: She expected her soldiers to sweep in, to tackle the Empress. Instead, she saw bodies collapsed under rubble in the hallway. A huge, familiar figure entered, bloodied scims in each hand. “You,” Elias Veturius said.

And as per usual, Sabaa leaves you screaming at the end, at the twists and turns and the CLIFFHANGERS. Plural, as in more than one. It’s a ride and I can’t wait for more.

4.5 stars! Where to begin! AEITA is one of my ALL TIME favorite series, so to say this was my most anticipated release of the year would be an understatement. THANK YOU Penguin Teen!

Not gonna lie, the beginning of this book threw me. The setting and magic system is very different from the Ember series, because we’re seeing new countries (?) and I was actually starting to feel like my knowledge of the series made me MORE confused because the world felt so different. But lemme tell you, that 25% mark CLICKED and STAYED locked in until the very end!

There are a handful of POVs in this, but the main three were delightful! The Aiz chapters were what really started me off kilter but when it finally came together, it all seemed so masterfully crafted! I loooove Quil and Sirsha!! They were definitely the highlight of this book for me. And the spice is UPPED in this one! Woooo, they were so cute and had me giggling and grinning the whole time. Also loved Sufiyan and Arelia and the four’s friendships. Their scenes had so much heart and also Sabaa’s humor which made me so happy. The scene where they tracked the chain reaction of killings that would have to happen??? I was ROLLLLLING

Obviously I loooved being back with my fave Ember characters! LAIA & ELIAS ARE EVERYTHING TO ME (Sabaa why would u hurt them like that??? I was legitimately mad on their behalf lmao like they’ve suffered enough PLS). Helene, Musa and Tas were all great! I thought the old characters were woven into this one really well and I think we’ll see even more of them in the next one (with hopefully less pain??? Right??? *sobs*)

Honestly this was really fantastic and the only reason I wouldn’t give it a full five stars is because of the slow-ish beginning and some of the Aiz chapters felt like they dragged. But I’m so pleased with this one and can’t wait for the sequel!

THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS ARC. I HAVE DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN!

I understand that you can read this without having read An Ember and The Ashes, but please don't, lol. You will thank me later.
This read way more YA than Ember, which I found really surprising, but I didn't like it any less because of it. It was so fun to see this world expand even more and see the OG characters along with our new group. Sabaa still doesn't care about our feelings, but it's not as gut-wrenching as Ember. She really shined when it came to ending scenes. She makes you want to keep reading. At the end of every chapter, I was like, "Oh, shit," and when I read the last sentence I was like "oh, fuck." 😂 That cliff hanger really got me.

Sabaa Tahir returns to her An Embar in The Ashes Universe with three characters tied by one destiny and mission. I think this book has one of Tahir's best plotting with face pacing and characters that are memorable, distinct, and have great character arcs. The book touches on very relevant world issues while combining magic and romance in a captivating and intriguing way. I was fascinated by Aiz's character development, by the relationship between Quil and Sirsha. Every character had an important role that was detrimental to the plot enhancement. I was excited to return to a world I knew, however, Tahir has also ensured that readers who have not the preceding series will not be lost. I am incredibly excited for the sequel because that ending really had me gasping.

Jiminy freaking Christmas. This book was so well done and was an excellent revisit to the world of the Ember quartet and to the characters we fell in love with there. The storytelling, the way pieces fell into place and questions were answered but still leaving a healthy amount to answer in the next book were all amazing. I absolutely adored Quil and Sirsha and I can’t wait to see how he manages to find her. I desperately need the next book asap 😭