This was the first book I read by this author. I really enjoyed the pacing, the world building, the characters, and the emotions that came through. This was fast paced, just how I like it. I enjoyed the perspectives of the different characters. I can’t wait to see where this story continues to go.

4.5/5 ⭐️

Sabaa Tahir writes such rich characters and relationships that keep your eyes glued to the page. This is true in Heir even more than An Ember In The Ashes, the stakes are lower but the world richer and more personal while also somehow being darker. Heir is a wonderful blend of high fantasy and sweeping romance that so few books blend correctly. My biggest complaint about her previous series was the uninspiring villains, the villains of Heir are a lot of things but uninspired isn’t one of them. The villains feel like people and not plot devices in a way that fully enriches the entire experience. I find myself here at the end bereft, longing for the sequel.

"Heir" is set 20 years after An Ember in the Ashes. We follow Aiz, an orphan out for revenge; Quil, a prince weighed down by his messed-up family legacy; and Sirsha, a banished tracker hunting a killer. Their stories all come together in a mix of heartache, politics, and epic world-building (the typical Sabaa heart-wrecking combo). If you’ve read the Ember quartet, you will absolutely love this one as you get to see a lot of familiar characters all grown up. But even if you haven’t, Sabaa does a great job providing backstory when necessary.

The story starts off a little slow due to the focus on world-building, but once it picks up, it’s impossible to put down. The found family vibes, forbidden romance, and all the twists had me glued to the pages. While you don’t have to read the Ember quartet beforehand, it adds a lot more history and context to the book. As always, this was a solid read, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next one!

I read this one using a mix of the audiobook (ALC) and the physical book (ARC). I really enjoyed the audiobook since it’s a multicast, which is always great, and as with most fantasy books, it helped with learning how to pronounce a lot of the uncommon names. For the most part, all the narrators did a wonderful job. However, the sections with Cero and Sufiyan seemed like they were recorded through a tin can, but since this is the ALC, hopefully, those issues will be fixed before release. Thankfully, they only have a few chapters from their POVs, so it only affects about 3% of the audiobook. Overall, I would highly recommend the audiobook or physical book to anyone interested in YA fantasy.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I feel very blessed to have received this arc. The first series by Sabaa Tahir was amazing and after reading this one, it will be just as great! I can’t wait to read the next installment in this duology

4 stars! This story takes place in a rich world, one those who have read an Ember in the Ashes will be familiar with. I was equally intrigued with diverse POV chapters. The story was somewhat predictable. Overall, a great fanatasy story in a rich world.

I loved this book couldn’t put it down I loved the characters so much and how the Author wrote the story and the plot I loved everything about it

"Sometimes the power of a story is greater than anything else on the earth"

Thank you Penguin Teen for one of my most anticipated arcs!

This is going on top favorite reads of the year without a question, we asked and Sabaa the brilliant Kehanni of our time delivered and she delivered it flawlessly, in the words of kids these days- She ate and left no crumbs, Heir is set in the well known beloved world of AITA. However the similarities ended there for me because with fresh set of characters, an intricately expanded world building and a compelling story I was immediately drawn into the world eagerly flipping through the pages because there was not a dull chapter in the entire book. It is a multiple POV narration that is rather fast paced and dynamic, the characters and their development felt so organic that they ended up being a chef's kiss. I was so invested in the story that I kept thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it, it is captivating in that way.

While it is said that you can read this one as duology, I highly recommend reading Ember quartet to enjoy the brilliance of the story even more. Sabaa Tahir has a way with her words that'd make the readers forge such strong bonds with her characters, I LOVED Quil, Aiz and Sirsha's character arcs so very much and they way she connected three different point of views and weaved a story is just flawless. No one can write a convincingly vile, morally grey character that you'd vehemently loathe like this author does , I wanted to simultaneously scream at the book and shake *this* character rather violently at times.

The world of Heir just like in AITA is still brutal, there is a new evil at play thats methodically destroying everything in its path, as the empire's crown prince and sole Heir Quil isn't going to sit around and let it happen, It is definitely not what his aunt Helene Aquila would have done. Quil might think he is not cut to become the ruler of the empire but he is going to save his people regardless with the help of his friends and a Jaduna(witch) in exile. I don't want to give out anymore details because they can be spoiler-ish and I also suggest going in knowing as little as you can. The appearance of some of the older characters was such a blast from the past and the ending made my jaw go unhinged but I expected nothing short of this from Sabaa

I throughly enjoyed every last bit of Heir and I can't wait(which I know would be excruciating) for the sequel. Of course I highly highly recommend it. This book is going to get stuck in your head for a while after you finish reading

3.5 stars. I have no idea why I never finished the last book of the 'An Ember in the Ashes' series, since I gave the first three books in it four stars each. I vaguely remember picking it up once or twice and struggling to get back into the story; my fault for reading the books as they came out, leaving big gaps in my memory by the time the fourth book was released. At any rate, this new book is set in that world, and the main characters from the series are in this book as well, on the periphery, and now I'm feeling like I should go back and try to finish the original series. Tahir is an excellent writer, and my main struggle with this book was that I dreaded one particular character's chapters every time they came around. I loved the other characters and their nuanced portrayals, but I just didn't want to hear from this other one. I know I'm being vague, but I don't want to say any more about why I felt that way because spoilers. For most of the book I thought I probably wouldn't go on to read book two when it comes out, but props to Tahir, because the ending made me want to continue. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for a digital review copy.

I had a great time with this book and can't wait for book 2 already
It started slow but I loved visiting old characters and seeing the new. I hated Aiz on second sight and could predict some of the storylines but it was fast paced and kept moving. The character arcs could use some more work though - Quil and Sirisha were nice characters but their chapters were too much about eo and didn't explore the backstory enough

I actually disagree with the people I’ve heard say you can read this without having read the original series. Sure, you could technically follow the plot, but you’d be missing so many layers of worldbuilding, history, and character development. It wouldn’t even be the same book at that point.

Luckily for me, I read the Ember in the Ashes quartet already and had a great time with Heir. I really enjoyed Sirsha as a character—possibly my favorite in the series, though I really did love Laia a lot as well so that’s hard to measure. I liked the slightly more romance focused style and look forward to seeing how things resolve in book 2!

This intricate, epic tale is a spinoff of another series, which I didn't realize when I started reading. However, I don't think you need any background information from the original series to enjoy this book (the first in a duology).

I was quickly immersed in the breathtaking world-building and exceptional magic system in Heir. The story takes on the perspectives of three characters, and each felt well-developed and unique.

Heir is a strong first installment in what promises to be a captivating duology!

Fantastic world building, interesting characters. unfortunately, I definitely had a favorite POV and felt it was a lag to get through the ones that weren't my favorite. Really debating going back to read Tahir's other series now.

“𝓣𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼, 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 … 𝓦𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶. 𝓣𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔀𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓱. 𝓣𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓮. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓭𝓸 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓾𝓹. 𝓓𝓮𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱.”

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

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 4.5 Stars ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Wow! This was so good - I've had a limited amount of time recently to read at night and so I really took my time with this one. I just loved being able to take my time and savor it - so much fun being back in the world of An Ember in the Ashes.

Heir is set in the same world as An Ember in the Ashes - this story takes place 20 years after AEITA and while it's not required to read AEITA, it will only help understand the world better and there's some spoilers in this one for AEITA if you haven't finished that one yet.

We follow “the second generation” of sorts, including Helene’s nephew and Laia and Elias’ son, this is a twisty and gripping, dual timeline story of fighting for your people and your family, no matter the cost.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Sabaa Tahir truly knows how to play with your emotions and she holds nothing back when it comes to keeping you in the edge of your seat. Heir is a perfect mix between character and plot driven, the story is a little slow at the start but picks up pace fairly quickly , with a power-hungry deity, a misguided outcast, and the best of the best found families.

I loved seeing the world established in AEITA expanded and the lore of the various cultures and beliefs woven into more intricate tapestries. It was like sliding right back into comfort being in this world, of course that is until all hell breaks loose lol. Quil is such a great MMC and honestly rivaling Elias as ultimate book boyfriend in this series - maybe. I mean. And Sirsha is such an amazing bad ass FMC.

╰⪼ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓐𝓲𝔃 ｡˚ꕤ˚｡ is someone who is completely devoted to a better life for herself and her people, seemingly no matter the cost. She spends a lot of this book trying to find her place and accomplish her goals under the guidance of someone she has utmost faith in before she seems to really step into her own - though not really for the better.

There is an underlying brutality in Aiz that is very interesting to read because she manages to hide it so well - even from the reader a good chunk of the time. She is a very complex character who is occasionally hard to get a read on but I think I rather liked that about her!

╰⪼ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓢𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓱𝓪 ｡˚ꕤ˚｡ my girl! Loved her from the moment she was on page. Full of sarcasm and wit, she does her best in life and that’s all she can expect herself to do! She’s brutal when she needs to be and can totally kick ass. She's sassy and smart- quick and clever. She comes across as cold but she's got a heart of gold.

╰⪼ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓵 ｡˚ꕤ˚｡ is a deadly and dangerous cinnamon roll/golden retriever. I think that is the best way to describe him. Being surrounded by Helene and Elias, he is sure to have a dash of cold cruel killer mask but with Laia in his life and others with a slightly softer temperament, he is a perfect balance of broody/strong/dangerous and sweet/loyal/caring.

He really was a great character to read from because he is incredibly analytical and really takes everything in - really giving the reader an in-depth understanding. His relationships with other characters were also amazing - but one in particular really melted my heart!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I really don't have any complaints, I devoured this book and loved everything about it. Loved being back in the AEITA world and can't wait to get back to it after that cliffhanger ending!

And again, while the pace of the story initially started up a little slow in order to set the whole scene. The constant rotation of POV's makes the story pick up quickly. The world building was flawless - no info dumping, no lulls. Truly a top favorite of the year.

Overall, a great start to a new series, I think that seeing new and old characters with all of the different dynamics, time jumps and a few different character POVs. I’m super intrigued for what’s to come! Trying to keep the review extremely vague due to spoilers. Highly recommend!

Thank you to my darling lovely Esta for buddy reading with me! Had so much fun! Please check out her thoughts on Heir as well. Esta's Heir Review 💘👯‍♀️

Many thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and Sabaa Tahir for the complementary digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 💙

If leaving a reveiw saying ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh to encompass all my feelings was appropriate, I totally would. This book was everything. I loved going back to the world I dearly love and being able to feel like I'm experiencing it all over again. The danger, the secrets and all the good things.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available 10/1/24!!!

This is a young adult book but the themes in it span into adulthood. I loved Aiz, Sirsha and Quil. Their lives vastly differently but able to bring down a cruel empire. There is love betrayal, power and treachery as well as unchecked greed consequences and just a very well told story that will grip you and never let you put this book down.

My heart. MY HEART. Everything Sabaa Tahir touches is gold… and heartbreak. Fans of the Ember quartet will love to be back in the world, and new readers won’t want to get out.

What a joy to be back in this world from Sabaa Tahir! The magic, politics, and cultures in this world are so expansive and interesting, so I'm pleased she is exploring more of this world with new and old characters.

It really warmed my heart to see characters from An Ember in the Ashes series again. There was a good balance in how much we see them and how they influence events, but they also took a backseat so the new generation could take the spotlight. All the new POVs were interesting, and I love seeing them meet up through the story.

The plot is tense, there's some great character growth, and of course there's a cliffhanger at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it whenever I picked it up. However, I never felt fully sucked into it. I often forgot about the story when I put it down and never felt the urgency to see what happens next. (I'm not sure if this is the fault of my weird reading mood or the book.) But I'm still looking forward to the sequel!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, Penguin Teen, for the arc!

Trigger/Content Warnings: one vague open door, graphic violence and murder (including children), abuse, torture, sexual assault (vague on-page), genocide

I love Sanaa Tahir. I loved Heir. This story was so raw and filled with hurt. It explored deep concepts and left me thinking about it long after finished the book. Tahir writes YA that reads like NA. There isn’t spice but she writes such mature and interesting characters. My heart broke throughout this story in such a good way. This will be the book of the year.

4.5 - This book was SO good!! I think I somehow enjoyed it more than the Ember Quartet, and that is saying a lot because that was one of my favorite YA fantasy series of this year! For a fantasy duology with a complex story and history of the characters, Tahir once again does a fantastic job of pacing this book and connecting you to the characters. I was so beyond happy to see the tie ins to the Ember Quartet and catch glimpses of our favorite characters.

Aiz is an orphan who seeks revenge for the tyrant who killed her people. Quil is the crown prince of the Empire, the nephew of one Empress Helene (I gasped with happiness). Sirsha is an outcast of her people, banished from her tribe, and who has agreed to hunt down a killer. All three of these main characters are struggling with their identity, the power dynamics in the Empire, and the life they once thought they would be forced to live vs. what they really want from their future.

Heir has a combination of everything I love in fantasy - high stakes, romance, angst, fantastic world-building, and characters that are fighting with themselves and their hearts. Once again, Tahir demonstrates that she is a superior author whose prose and storytelling is next level. Again, for such a long book with so much to pack in, as well as a lot of tie ins that she brought in from An Ember in the Ashes, this book was perfectly paced and well fleshed out.

I honestly had no clue going into this book that it was set in the world of An Ember in the Ashes and it brought me SO much joy to be back with some of my favorite characters from that series, ESPECIALLY my cinnamon roll Helene. I love it when an author is able to take the prior characters/world from a past series and expand out, creating a larger universe and expanding on the same themes, and Heir did that perfectly in my opinion.

If you are a fan of An Ember in the Ashes, or are just looking for a new high fantasy/YA fantasy to dive into, Heir is one of my favorite fantasies of this year and the perfect fall book! Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for providing me with this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. #PenguinTeenPartner

Fans of Embers in the Ashes will be delighted (or perhaps devastated?) to return to the Empire 20 years later. A new cast of characters takes us on a magical, sometimes violent ride in this fantasy duology. As always, Sabaa Tahir’s writing is some of the best in the genre. I was on the edge of my seat for this entire story, and I cannot wait for the second installment!