DNF @43%. It took a minute to lock in with all the POVs, but overall it started off strong for me. By the 30% mark, I found my mind wandering. Disappointed to say that I’m putting this one down for now, because I was hyped for it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my digital copy!

I really enjoyed this fantasy book that kept me intrigued from the start. I really enjoyed all of it. Sabba Tahir writes my favorite fantasy books. Can't wait to read more

This was heartbreaking and so well executed, Sabba Tahir is an amazing author. Her writing is always a joy to read, not too overly verbose but miles above the normal standard!! I was a bit skeptical about an add on to the ember in the ashes universe but this one definitely delivered. Was it necessary? Probably not, but I still enjoyed it. The character work was what really made the story shine, in my opinion most of the characters were even better written that most characters were in ember in the ashes!

I was so excited to jump back into this world. Sabaa Tahir is one of my favorite authors and I loved the An Ember in the Ashes series. I didn't like it quite as much as the original series but it was really fun to go back into that world with a new story

I so loved this book! So much vivid imagery with a storyline that just flows beautifully! The world building was interesting and very well done! The characters were entertaining and real! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you to the publisher for an eArc and Libro.fm for an ALC; all opinions are my own.

DNF at 25%. This is so so unfortunate, but while I thought this would be different from The Ember in the Ashes in that it would be disconnected (not sure why I thought that), but it very much isn’t. I wasn’t a fan of The Ember in the Ashes series, so returning to the world and the characters when I didn’t even finish the last book just reminded me why I didn’t finish the first series. This just wasn’t making sense to me either; I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of the book. I do know how The Ember in the Ashes quartet ends now though.

I have never meet an author that hates their characters more than Sabaa Tahir, and I mean that so lovingly.

You’re supposed to come away from the end of a long grueling series with the comfort that the characters (who survived) will now live to see a nice peaceful life. Sabaa, however, burst in with Heir to disrupt our beloved characters’ well earned quiet once again. To really drive home that life will always have its hardships, its heartbreaks, its grief.

In Heir we’re following a new generation of characters, 20 years after the events of An Ember in the Ashes. Some we’ve meet before, some completely new. There is a new war brewing on the horizon, and a new supernatural threat lurking in the shadows. Sabaa is fantastic at crafting intricate storylines that weave together in such shocking ways. She’s the queen of twists and keeping you on the edge of your seat. She’s really showcasing how strong her writing has grown.

This is only a duology so I’m really intrigued to see how she’ll wrap this story up so concisely. I see a lot of heartbreak in my future and I’m SCARED. I love these characters, and this world.

I’m so disappointed that I couldn’t get into this book. I really wanted to like it.

There were major series spoilers for the authors other series An Ember in the Ashes in this book- so I had to stop and go finish that series before continuing.

This book had a lot of action but not the feeling behind it. I didn’t care enough about the characters to be interested in the action packed scenes.

For me the world building was not up to par. This book takes place in the same world as An Ember in the Ashes and expands on it, but doesn’t do rebuilding of anything that was established in the other series.

There were some scenes and themes that were too mature for a YA novel that made me uncomfortable.

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2 Stars

I think this is definitely more of a it's a me problem and not the book. I didn't read the other series and didn't think I really needed to... well guess I did. I just felt like I was lacking a lot of backstory. I couldn't get through it.

I'm definitely going to have to read this again before book two comes out and I'm not at all mad about it.
With individual three POVs, Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil must navigate the recuperating empire as a new threat rises. Each couldn't be more different but ultimately need each other.
Highly recommend reading the Ember in the Ashes quartet, not only because the world is the same and there are cameo appearances, but because the series is one of my all time favorites. Sabaa's genius for story telling is magic in itself. I will never get over the push and pull she puts her characters (and readers!) through. How one can be so charming and likeable one chapter and the enemy in sheep's clothing the next or vice versa. I eagerly anticipate where Sabaa will take us on this journey next.
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

this was hands down my favorite read of the year.

no because actually how am i supposed to wait for the next book??

i’m literally—i can’t even form thoughts. that was so good. like i knew it would be, because duh, it’s sabaa tahir, but somehow it was even better than i expected. i genuinely never thought i’d be swooning over a farrar but here we are. and don’t even get me started on sirsha—she is everything to me. AND THAT ENDING?? sabaa tahir is actually evil for that. helene aquilla remains the love of my life. AHHHHHHH.

OMG! I freaking loved this one. I can't get enough of this world. I enjoyed the multiple POV's and getting to see more of Helene, Elias, and Laia. It's definitely a new generation of warriors. The audiobook was fantastic and helped me get through this at a reasonable pace.

It's filled with so much adventure, love, and betrayal. 100% recommend!

I started and ultimately did not finish this. I adore Sabaa Tahir and her writing style from past books of her’s but something about this didn’t pull me in. I will say the cover was very well done. I think that if this was completely disconnected from the world of her past works I may have been more willing to give it a full go ahead.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for my e-arc. I didn't mean to take so long to get to it, but better late than never! This first book in a YA fantasy duology takes place in the same universe as Tahit's Ember of Ashes series and while it is not required to read those books, it is highly recommended. I was a poor soul who did not read that series before diving into Heir and while I wasn't completely in the dark, there were enough gaps in my know that I really felt it and ended up deciding to DNF or rather NFN - not for now. I'm still giving this book a solid 4 star because I can tell that Tahir is a brilliant writer and that I simply was not in the right space to really enjoy the effort put into this one. I think anyone who is a fan of the first series will absolutely love this and I recommend it to those readers. Happy reading!

Ooh, this was really good! While we don't see much of the characters from the original quartet, I enjoyed getting to know the new ones. Sirsha was easily my favorite, she's cunning and great at surviving difficult situations and I thought her backstory was the most interesting. Her relationship with Quil was fun to watch develop and I hope for much more in the sequel.

That ending was wild! Book two please!

Sanaa Tahoe has done it again! I cannot wait for the next book. I’ve been thinking about this book since I finished it.

Tahir is an amazing author and brings so much to life! I think everyone needs to try her books at least once because you won’t stop there!!

It was an absolute pleasure to return to the world from the Ember in the Ashes series. It took my awhile to get to this ARC review because I wanted to go back and read the original series, and I am so glad that I did. While this book can technically be read without reading the original 4 stories, it gives this story so much more context. The world building in this one is good (and I especially loved the expanded world), but you get a more full picture if you've read the others.

I loved getting glimpses, or more, of the characters that I adored from Ember. But I came to really care about the new characters here as well. Like Ember, Tahir tells the story through three POVs and we get to see how their stories will come to overlap. I love that Tahir creates complex and flawed characters whose choices sometimes make it hard to root for (looking at you Aiz, from chapter 1). Quil and Sirsha carried this book for me, esp. my girl Sirsha.

I enjoyed the plot. I think some of Tahir's other books were a bit of a slow burn to start. In comparison, this one had me hooked and on edge from the start. Unravelling the mystery and figuring out what happened and how these three story lines would come together was so much fun. And that ending..... cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.

The only thing that I did not love, and that is just an issue with this type of story (one that takes place generations after an initial beloved series, like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) is that without this addition to the world, we get to believe that they go off and live happily ever after. Here we see that tragedy still plays a part in Laia, Elias, and Helene's lives. And seeing them from a different perspective (mainly Helene from Quil's perspective) shows flaws that detract from their character building from the first series. That said, it's realistic that they don't just live happily ever after, so while I'm sad with how some things turned out for them, it also feels real.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing a digital ARC of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin, and LiboFM for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

An incredible audiobook. My first Sabaa book, but not my last.

Such a fantastic read! Loved how this was set in the universe of the other series. Can't wait for more from this author!