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.

Sabaa Tahir is incredible as always. I'm left in such anticipation of the sequel that I'm glad I read the Ember in the Ashes Series after all 4 books came out. As always, incredible character and world-building and I cannot wait for what happens next.

I have not read anything by Sabaa before so I didn't know what to expect. I was really skeptical of Heir since I hadn't read the original series too. That probably helped make it a bit slow for me to start but I think there was a really well planned plot building situation happening because I was just swept away. It had me hooked by the end. I'm still reserving judgment as a whole because I really think book two could fall flat. But I can't wait to find out.

Thank you so much to Sabaa Tahir, Penguin and Netgalley for this ARC. I attest that I am leaving my review voluntarily and honestly.

I did decide to read the original Ember in the Ashes series before reading this and I will say, I am very glad I did.
Although this can be read independently, it was so nice to see past characters in this book and see how they interact with the new characters of this book.
Sabaa Tahir is so amazing at story telling. Heir was interesting, exciting, and felt like coming back to an old friend but with a whole new light.
I don't want to say too much because I don't want to ruin anything but the twists were exciting, And I only say part of one twist coming and that was so refreshing.

An excellent read. I feel like I missed quite a bit by not reading the author's original series before diving into this title. Despite that, I still enjoyed it immensely. Heir is very well paced, the characters are fantastic, and the settings are awesome. The author did such a wonderful job of describing everything that I felt like I was with the characters every step of the way throughout the title. I was a little bummed out by the ending of the book, but I do look forward to the next entry in this series.

Despite not reading Tahir's other series, I wanted to read Heir, thinking it'd be a true standalone. While I believe the plot of this book can be understood without having read An Ember in the Ashes, I personally struggled to figure out the world and society. It's definitely not impossible, but this made it hard for me to fully understand and reasonable review the book fairly.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

If Sabaa Tahir writes it, I will read it. But also, the way her mind works. Twist after twist regarding timelines, and what we think we know as a reader, only to find out something else. I cannot wait until I have time to read this book again to see if I can pick up clues, if any were made, about what happened.

Heir
by Sabaa Tahir
Heir Duology #1
YA Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Oct 1, 2024
Penguin Group
Ages: 16+

Aiz grew up in the slums, her people suffering under their rulers, until one day...

Sirsha, banished by her people and forbidden to hunt as her people hunt, has magic that enables her to talk to the elements and uses the gift to hunt non-magical others for a price.

The Empire's crown prince, Quil, sets out to find the enemy who has attacked the Empire, and his path crosses with both Aiz and Sirsha...


Sadly, I don't get what all of the excitement is about this book. It was a good story with a creative world, plot, and characters, but I guessed most of the who, what, and why pretty quickly because of the 'history'.

At first, I was really interested in that part of the story, until the relationship with the rest of the story unfolded, then well, I don't even think I was halfway through the book when I started to guess, and was mostly right.

The ending was too 'easy' and I wasn't surprised because I already knew there was a second book, which as of me writing this, I have no overwhelming need to read because I can already guess where it's going.

If the story hadn't been so predictable I think I would have liked it more. And I guess this is set in the same world as a previous series from this author, which I did not know about when requesting, (Grrr!) but I'm not sure if reading those first would have made a difference in my opinion.

There is violence and borderline adult content so it's not suitable for readers under sixteen.

3 Stars

2024 has not been a strong year for fantasy, but I’m so glad I read Heir.

This is actually my first Sabaa Tahir read, I’ll def go back and read her other series plus All My Rage after reading Heir.

I really like the world building and the character development of the three leads Aiz, Quil and Sircha. Each character has his/her own unique background and story, very strong side characters around them as well.

The magic each character possesses is different too, and I like one of the strongest magic in the book is the magic that lives in a story.

The book ended with a pretty big cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read the second book and see how things will end!

4.5 ⭐️ roundup to 5

It took a while to get into the book, and by this I mean months! but it was definitely worth it. The first third of the book was a bit slow, but the rest was very enjoyable (I finished the latter two-thirds in a single day!) I am definitely looking forward to the sequel because the ending was a cliffhanger and I need more!

→ Would recommend - 4.5 stars

5 Stars

THIS BOOK!!!!! I need the second book ASAP because that CLIFFHANGER WAS BRUTAL and the mid story twist WAS BANANAS and seriously I need more more more RIGHT MEOW. A proper fantasy full of magic and world building and epic stakes and murky choices being made for the greater good. I gobbled it up like Mother Div. Anyhooooooooo amazing and I am dying for the next book.

HEIR by Sabaa Tahir was such a good read. Set around twenty years after the end of the An Ember in the Ashes series it delivered in every way. It took me a bit to find my footing in the story, but once I did; I couldn’t stop reading. I was captivated. Every book Sabaa writes is incredible. She just knows how to play with your emotions with her storytelling.

This new spinoff revolves around three new characters: Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil but we do get a glimpse of the lives of our past favourite characters. 

Aiz's ambition and devotion to save as well as provide a better life for herself and her people was intriguing with the length she would go to in order to make this happen. She was completely blinded by it not thinking of the consequences it would cost her and to those around her. 

Sirsha was one of my favorites! She was amazing. So clever, witty and fierce yet there was so much depth and vulnerability to her. I’m excited to see where her journey goes.

Quil was amazing, I loved her relationships with the other characters like Sirsha and her history with Helene, Elias, and Laia. There is a hardness to him but when he’s around those he cares about I loved seeing the softest to him that lies beneath his broody hard exterior. He’s been through so much; I loved learning the in-depths of his actions and behaviors as he tries to understand his place in the world around him. 

The way that these characters are connected is insane.

I loved how Sabaa intertwined the new and old characters together despite having different dynamics and the various time jumps they all fit naturally together; it never felt forced or out of place. Each character development, building tension, world-building, and magical system was written beautifully.

An emotional rollercoaster to the end. And after that ending, I’m excited to see what’s in store for the next book. 

This is a book full of incredible worldbuilding, high stakes, tension, vulnerability, trauma, tethering the line of what is right and wrong, witty characters, romance, and heartbreak.

If you were captivated by the Ember in the Ashes series, Heir will bring you more chaos to this incredible universe Sabaa has built.

I've never read her before, but now that I did, thank goodness. It reminds me a lot of Swati Teerdhala's world building and writing, and I can't wait to see what's next!

Heir by Sabaa Tahir is everything i was hopeful for with its description. I have absolutely been captured by her writing style and need to jump into her back list as soon as possible. This title is now on the employee recommends shelf at my work and i can't wait to see more from its writer.

I really loved this book from start to finish! These characters are so well written, and complex. The world building is so unique and magical! Sabaa is one of my favorite authors because she's just such an amazing storyteller, and I was so excited to return to the world of An Ember in the Ashes! I loved all the different POVs as well! I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel, especially after that ending!