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.

Heir by Sabaa Tahir is an emotional and complex continuation of the beloved An Ember in the Ashes series, set twenty years after the events of the original books. With a fresh cast of characters and the familiar yet expanded world, Tahir delivers a masterpiece that captivates from the very first page.

Tahir’s skill lies not only in her ability to create deeply layered, morally complex characters but also in her brutal honesty. She doesn’t shy away from tearing readers' hearts to shreds, even when they know a devastating event is coming.
The stakes are higher, the world is more dangerous, and the ending will leave you speechless, setting the stage for what promises to be an unforgettable second installment.

Heir is a must-read for anyone who loves Tahir’s signature blend of tragic, multifaceted characters, heart-pounding action, and unforgettable emotional depth. Prepare to be destroyed and immediately crave the next book. Heir is a top-tier fantasy novel that cements Sabaa Tahir as a master of her craft.

Heir by Sabaa Tahir is book one in the Heir Duology and it was amazing!! This book was my introduction to Sabaa Tahir and it did not disappoint, I can’t wait for book two. This book can be read as a standalone, but from what I’ve read there is a series “The Ember in the Ashes” I should’ve read first so I can’t wait to dive into.

Tahir did an amazing job with this storyline and plot, It had me hooked from page one. The world building was so detailed I could picture being there with the characters. The story is told in 3 different POV’s Aiz, Quil, and Sirsha, and characters were written so well. Each character had their own perspectives along with their own challenges. Aiz, an orphan and the only survivor after the orphanage was burned down by Tiral. Quil, is of noble descent, he is struggling to become a leader and take on those responsibilities after his aunt Empress of the Marital Empire, Helene Aquilla has stepped down. Sirsha, is a strong badass Jaduna tracker. She has the power to control the four elements to hunt down any human. That’s all I really want to say because these characters and this story have so much to them you just have to read it for yourself. I just blown away with this story!! Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

An orphan, a Prince, and an outcast walk into a bar— ok, not a bar but you get the point. The 3 storylines are so masterfully interwoven it took me 𝘸𝘢𝘺 too long to see how they all connected. Aiz is an orphan who grew up in the cloister and seeks revenge. Quil is the Prince of the Realm and cannot decide if he wants to rule. And Sirsha is an outcast, banished by her people, and is on the hunt for a violent killer. We also get other side characters and a mystery. I loved the banter, romance, and the way all the moving pieces came together. Also, how can you know something bad is coming (and EXACTLY what it is), but it’s still so sad?

Normally with multiple POVs I have a favorite narrator I can’t wait to get back to. But with Heir, while I had my favorite characters, I enjoyed being in the different characters heads. There is so much action, magic, politics, romance, and murder. I had a great time with this one and I will definitely be picking up the sequel!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for my arc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

That’s IT. I have confirmed that Sabaa Tahir can do no wrong and every book she writes is a BANGER. NO NOTES. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

Every moment of this book I was on the edge of my seat. I could think of nothing else. Tahir KNOWS how to write a fantasy story that will tear your heart to shreds and leave you wanting more, literally begging her for craps.

I need more time to sit with this story, but it was just phenomenal. I cannot WAIT for the next book!!!

CW: blood, violence, war, death, murder, child death, injury/injury detail

Aiz - defintely the tragic figure
Quil - royal and human
Sirsha - outcast
A religious legend
So well written - just a joy to read. Intense. Magic. Corruption.
Absolutely looking forward to the next book.

This book was honestly not what I expected. I love it when an author throws us into a fantasy world and creates events and occurrences that wow us and keep us turning pages, but unfortunately, this book did not have that. It just seemed very long, drawn out, and boring. I am writing my review days after reading the book, and unfortunately, I'm finding it difficult to recall what exactly happened and each character's storyline. Overall, I felt it was underwhelming and not quite for me. 2.75 rounding up to 3.
Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Sabaa Tahir for this read.

Whoever approved me of this arc-- I hope you always have the cool side of the pillow, you only have green lights, your beverages are the perfect ratios and temperatures, and anything else wonderful you can think of.
Ember in the Ashes series owns my soul and I was nervous going into this continuation. I don't know why--because Sabaa Tahir does not know how to write a less than stellar book. Now, it IS different in the sense this book had much more romance than the other series (uhm, I melted a handful of times) and I do not know how I feel being attracted to Quil since we were there for his birth in the other series...haha.
But truly, I cannot wait to see where Tahir takes us in book two and how else she will make us want to cry into our pages.

It's tough for a writer to take a finished series, continue it with a new series, and make the new series just as good as the original series. Sabaa Tahir accomplishes that here. I enjoyed Heir just as much (if not more at some points) than the An Ember in the Ashes quartet.

How does Tahir do this? She expands on her world. Some of the story takes place in The Empire, but Tahir expands the map of her world south and we learn a lot about new countries through characters traveling there or being from them. Tahir's strengths with this book also lie with the 3 POVs we're reading from. All 3 of the characters were easy to empathize with and root for.

The last 20 pages had me screechingggg!!! While it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger (as any first book in a duology does), the ending was still so satisfying. While I am psyched to know what happens next, I am also satisfied to wait for Tahir to make the sequel as great as possible.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one! There was so much complexity and intricacies to the world building that I felt immersed. The different POVs were each unique and well developed and I liked how they intertwined as the book went on. My only complaint is that this would have been better if I had read this author's previous series. This is marketed as a standalone but I still feel like there were a lot of references and context I missed because I hadn't read the previous series.

Sabaa Tahir enjoys torturing us, doesn’t she?

What I liked:

I love that we got parts with Helene, Laia and Elias, but that the story really centered on the next generation.

I missed being in this world, and I am so happy we get more of this world with this series.

The pace of this book was perfect for me, especially on audio. I was hooked and really didn’t want to stop listening.


This may just be a favorite fantasy of 2024 for me.

I was so excited to get this book from NetGalley and I’ve waited months to talk about it. To say it was good is a huge understatement. I loved this book so much!

You all know that I enjoyed An Ember in the Ashes. This book is set in the same world and we do encounter some of the main characters briefly (Laia, Elias, Helene), this could very easily be read as a standalone. Except that it’s the beginning of a duology in which I need the second book NOW.

I absolutely loved our three main characters, but I mostly loved the two female leads. Don’t get me wrong, Quil was a wonderful character as well and I really enjoyed how he had such an inner conflict as to his status and place in the power structure of this realm. But Aiz and Sirsha – I do love some kick ass heroines, especially morally gray ones. We first meet Aiz when she is literally trying to kill someone! Yes, he deserves it, but still! I also really loved Sirsha’s backstory and her amazing tracker abilities. Her growing relationship with Quil was also very sweet, as neither one of them are particularly good at trusting people.

It was just so nice to sink back into this world again. Sabaa Tahir is an amazing writer and her world building, magic, characterizations, etc. are always so brilliant. This is a duology, according to GoodReads, but there is currently no information about a second book and when it might be released. Which is sad, because the ending of this one felt very ambiguous and I really need to know more.

I love Sabaa Tahir's writing, and this book did not disappoint! This was Tahir at her best, with strong world building and character depth, an expanded world from what we got in Ember, and a new story in the universe fans love. I can't wait for the second book in this duology.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (fade to black)

If you've read and enjoyed the entire An Ember in the Ashes series, you'll probably like this. If, like me, you weren't crazy about the series and didn't finish it, then you might find yourself as confused as me. Yes, this had a nice plot twist around the middle that intrigued me. Yes, there was a decent, if rushed, romance. Unfortunately, there were so many references to past events, characters, places, etc. that just weren't explained for new readers. This left me scratching my head and uninvested. Yes, it's my own fault for requesting an ARC before finishing the first series, but, in my defense, the book isn't marketed in a way that makes it clear you need to have read the previous series. Oh well, I tried.

Three characters, three interwoven storylines, and all the reasons I love @sabaatahir -even when she puts her characters through absolute hell! I loved this book! I LOVED seeing familiar faces from the Ember Quartet! I enjoyed the immersive writing style and storytelling! I knew this would be a hit for me since I loved Ember so much, and it absolutely was! (How many exclamation points is too many?) When I first started Heir, I was worried I might not be in the right frame of mind for fantasy, but page by page the story grabbed me more and more until I couldn't stop. How long do I have to wait for book 2? Heir takes place in the same world as the Ember Quartet, and while I think you could enjoy Heir without reading the Ember books, I definitely recommend reading them first- 1. Because I love them and 2. Because it lays the groundwork for some of the side character backstories. Heir is a young adult fantasy, 16+ for violence and some very mild Sexual content

“𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙗𝙮𝙚. 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠. 𝘽𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚.”

I knew this book was going to gut me. And @sabaatahir delivered. I loved being back in the AEITA world. I knew the book was going to have us be in proximity to Elias, Laia, and Helene and it did. However, I really enjoyed Quil and Sirsha POV’s!

I loved this book so much!!! There are very few authors that I would trust enough to pick up the first book of a duology. This author is one of them. Did she gut me and leave me heartbroken? Yes. Did it kill me to end on this cliffhanger? Also yes.

I cannot wait for book 2! If you loved An Ember in the Ashes or any kind of fantasy then you should definitely pick this one up!

Thank you @prhaudio and @penguinteen for the complimentary audiobook and ebook!

4.5 stars

WOW! This started off my October with a bang. The only other Sabaa Tahir book I’ve read was All My Rage and while I loved it, it’s a completely different genre so I wasn’t sure what I would think going into this. The start was a little slow as we are introduced to the 3 main characters but a good slow if that makes sense. I was invested right from the start. As the 3 stories begin to come together and the action began I could not put it down. So many twists and turns and an ending that left me completely stunned. My only complaint was I thought the last quarter of the book was a little drawn out. I can’t wait for book 2 and will be starting the Ember in the Ashes series ASAP! I loved the full cast of narrators. I started the eBook one morning, and then listened to the audio on my way into work and never looked back, the narrators brought the story and characters to life and made it easy for me to always know which POV I was listening to.