Set twenty years after the events of An Ember in the Ashes, Heir follows three main characters, Aiz (an orphan), Sirsha (an outcast) and Quil (a prince) as they navigate their own troubles, only to realise they’re tired by a common enemy. We see their lives intersect in ways I wasn’t expecting, and that plot twist! It snuck up on me before I realised I was in it, and I am still reeling.

Sabaa Tahir is back with a bang. I think I loved this book more than the Ember quartet. It’s faster-paced and absolutely gripping, and all the cliffhanger chapter endings will keep you on the edge of your seat. It was great exploring what happened to the older characters, who still had roles to play despite not being the main characters anymore.

If you loved the ember quartet, you will absolutely love this book. It’s a story of sacrifice and betrayal, and it’s a story of how far someone will go to protect the people they love. Much like An Ember in the Ashes, it’s a story that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey and will leave you wanting more. Do not sleep on this book.

“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.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An orphan. An outcast. A prince. And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees. Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite. Banished from her tribe for an unforgiveable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who speaks to the earth, air, and water to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But then, she falls for a charismatic and inconvenient fugitive who keeps getting in her way. QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire, nephew of a famed and venerated empress, but he’s loathe to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. As the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Aiz is someone who is utterly devoted to a better life, seemingly no matter the cost. She spends a lot of this book trying to find her place under the guidance of the one she admires most 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 lot 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 is a girl after my own heart. 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 does pretty well in this book … until she doesn’t. I will admit that I am rather nervous for her character in the next book but I know, somehow, she’ll be okay. I tell you now, if Sirsha was around me, I’d be exceptionally proud to call her a friend!
Quil is a deadly cinnamon roll. I think that is the best way to describe him. Being surrounded by the likes of Helene and Elias, he is sure to have a menacing streak but with Laia in his life and others with a slightly softer temperament, he is a perfect balance of harsh and sweet. He really was a great character to read from because he is incredibly analytical and really takes everything in - affording the reader a more in depth understanding of events occurring. His relationships with other characters was also amazing - but one in particular really melted my heart!

Being a big fan of Tahir’s works, I knew I needed to jump in with both feet into Heir - especially as it is set in the future of the An Ember in the Ashes series which I thoroughly enjoyed! The plot was pretty good! It was very well paced and had plenty going on - interspersing the big moments with enough little and calmer ones that you never felt like it was all go go go. With Tahir’s mastery at world-building, I knew I was in a treat. But it did feel a little much. We knew a fair amount about the kingdom and its goings on from AEITA, but we have travelled a lot further afield here. I’ll admit it was slow going for me reading this story. There is so much information that I had to digest that I knew I would end up missing something if I dared hasten my speed. There is also a big twist that hit me all of a sudden about 40% of the way through and it changed my whole view of the story and what was going on! This also contributed to my going slow so I could actually compartmentalise what I was reading. The characters are all very well fleshed out and engaging to read. I really enjoyed seeing the next generation’s perspective on things and seeing familiar characters in a different light! Tahir certainly has a gift for creating characters and holding the reader’s attention. Romance is not a focus in this story but of course it is included. I think it was really sweet despite its tremulous nature. Part of me wants to know it works out but this author does like to toy with emotions… The ending has me totally and utterly SHOOK! How on earth am I meant to survive a cliffhanger like that?! I knew Tahir could be cruel in that way but this just feels like a whole new level! I think it’s even worse that I don’t know when the sequel will be out… Hopefully it is soon!

Overall, Heir is another stunning book from Sabaa Tahir that EVERYONE needs to read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day and is now live on Goodreads.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Before the review begins: THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A FIVE STAR READ IF I'D READ THE ORIGINAL SERIES!

Okay, now that's over and done with - I loved this book. The characters, the setting, the world building, the magic system, the plot. Honestly it was so fantastic. Three POVs (which eventually converge) give insight into the overarching story, letting you understand the characters' motives and decisions. There's a complex - and terrifying - villain, extremely high stakes, brilliant and believable banter, and strong found family vibes throughout.

My only complaint is that I was led to believe I could read this without reading the original quartet set 20 years before - and while I did enjoy it and managed to follow the story well, I would have benefited from some background context and knowing some of the characters who feature from the original series. I have immediately ordered An Ember in the Ashes!

If Sabaa Tahir has no fans, I am dead. Seriously, her talent knows no bounds and I will forever be one thousand percent obsessed with whatever she writes!

Admittedly, I was a little hesitant to revisit the beloved world of Elias, Laia, and Helene in the Ember in the Ashes quarter because… how do you top that? But I should’ve trusted because WOW, Heir was everything I could’ve hoped for and more.

Following “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. As a perfect mix between character and plot driven, Heir is slow to start and fast to end, with a power hungry diety, a misguided outcast, and the found family of my dreams. I loved seeing the world established in AEITA expanded and the lore of the various cultures and beliefs woven into more intricate tapestries. Quil may just rival Elias as the ultimate book bf (…maybe….) and I absolutely adored Sirsha. It was so wonderful to be back with beloved characters too!

Needless to say, I need the next book immediately. Like I’m not even joking, I need it right now. The emotional upheaval I went through in those last 50 pages— Sabaa, my therapist will be billing you. ALL of the starts!

OMG do you know how happy I am to be back in this world and to have some of our long loved characters noted in the pages.

This was a brilliant new story that opens up with 3 POVs that take us on a journey. We get betrayal, romance, found family, war and discovery. This author truly knows how to do multi POV and make the paths each character follows clear and detailed, it allows us to really feel how big the world is and the magnitude of what is happening within the story. My only gripe is that I wish timeline dates were included as it took me 200 pages to realise the POVs aren’t completely linear.

I cannot wait for the next book as I know it will be brilliant.

Set 20 years after the ember in the ashes series. This was so fun and I loved the 3 main characters. It had a lot of easy to understand politics and world building. It is not a romantasy but does have little hints of romance which I ate up!! Really great spin off to her previous series and can’t wait to read more, the writing was great too.

✨5 stars✨

Wow! This book was amazing!

This book is set 20 years after the events in the ‘An Ember in the Ashes’ quartet (so read them first) so I really enjoyed seeing many of the old characters from that series in this book alongside many new interesting characters. It was so good to see cameos of old favourites sprinkled alongside the new ones!

The plot was interesting, engaging and had me hooked from the first page. Sabaa Tahir has quickly become one of my favourite authors this year and I loved the way she crafted this book and expanded on the magic and the world. The only downside is that I have to wait a year for the next book😭.

Highly recommend this book to all!

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Heir is full of the most interesting characters. I absolutely love an underdog hell bent on vengeance. Then we also are given reluctant royal and a banished hunter/tracker. I loved the plot and how it interwove the characters lives. We get three POVs but this was never overwhelming. There is also some added romance that’s always a plus for me. Some old characters also feature, which is nice but you don’t have to have read her other series. This book contains rage, longing, power plays and high stakes action. A great start to a series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I'm probably the only person reading this who hasn't yet read Ember in the Ashes, despite it being on my tbr for a while now. I see a lot of reviews comparing this book to that series, as this is a spin off apparently.

Sabaa Tahir's writing is fantastic! I don't usually keep focused on high fantasy, as I tend to find all the characters hard to keep up with, but I felt immersed into this world immediately. I could picture everything that happened and really feel like I was there.

I would recommend this to lovers of fantasy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

I really enjoyed this new fantasy set in the world of Ember in the Ashes. Sabaa Tahir does a great job of expanding her world to include new cultures and it’s also nice to meet some of the characters from the previous series again.
I loved the way that Sabaa Tahir used the different POV of the three main characters and the gradual realisation of what was going to happen in one of them really gripped me. All three of the protagonists had very distinct personalities and aims for themselves. I especially loved Sirsha and the way she was trying to make her own way in the world after being expelled from her people.
Some of my favourite characters were the supporting roles. Sufiyan was lovely but my favourite had to be Ruh who was brilliantly written and brightened up every page that he appeared on. I also liked the character of Cleo and especially the loyalty and steadfast friendship shown by him to Aiz.
There is romance in this book but there is a lot more politics which I loved. I would have liked to see more of Empress Helene and to understand why her relationship with Quil was so strained as that wasn’t really explained.
The three POV gradually intersect and the plot builds up to a dramatic conclusion. I can’t wait to see how it all works out in the next volume.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers, Little Brown Group UK for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Quil and Sirsha are my favourite characters. I love them both together! 😍

Suf and Rila were great friends to read about. The world building was gripping and the magic and powers displayed were brilliant, I cannot wait to find out more 🥰

I want more of Quil and Sirsha in the next book please! I cannot wait to read more! I'm happy this is a duology as I know I won't have to wait long for them to be reunited ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I read this as someone that has never read the Amber in the Ashes series (I will fix that!) So I didn't have a lot of the context and definitely missed some Easter eggs but overall I found this book enjoyable. The overall "quest" of the story is fun and I enjoyed the ending of the book too. It did feel like some characters were not at all fleshed out such as Aurelia compared to even Sufiyan as another side character but it is entirely possible that it happens in the other books but it meant I wasn't invested in her as a character. The magic in this realm was really unique though and I enjoyed the rest of the cast. The story is compelling and there were some definite plot twists I didn't catch
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This one hit just right. It took a little while for me to get into it, maybe 30%, but once the story truly starting taking shape, I was so hooked.

I’m not going to lie, I haven’t read the authors other series, and didn’t find out that this was a sequel series until writing this review. It stands very well on its own, which is remarkable. It’s fast paced, packed with action and well-built twists.

The characters carry this; they’re such strong unique characters; I loved Quill the most; honestly; a breath of fresh air of a male character. Sirsha is phenomenal, she’s strong-willed, brave, funny and a perfect character to root for.
And Aiz… well, I won’t spoil anything; but what Aiz does for this story strengthens it so, so very much.

Overall… I think I may have to try to read An Ember in the Ashes; if it’s half as good as Heir was.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and little Brown Book and the Brilliant author Sabaa Tahir for an early copy of her book to read.

I Really enjoyed reading the embers of ashes series,glad to see its back...i am not really into fantasy books, I won her book on a giveaway and enjoyed this series..Sirsha is a tracker hunting a killer of children....Quil a prince who doesnt want to rule.....Aiz ends up in a prison....fantastic characters...Another fantastic read very addictive...looking forward to reading the next instalment...

This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon..

This was a great fantasy book; the plot, characters and action were great and so well paced. I flew through it and can’t wait to buy a physical copy! Thank you

So, to begin with I thought this was a slow book and I had really trouble motivating myself to keep reading. It's worth pushing through though,because when it gets going it gets REALLY good! From about the half way point I couldn't put it down, and the twists and surprises had me completely blown away. I need the next book asap!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Heir is a beautifully devastating read with the richest world building and character development I've read in a very long time.

It's everything you want in fantasy - politics, heart-breaking character development, found family, a magic system that's intricate and lands that feel authentic.

I was impressed with the structure of this book, there's a key turning point around 50% of the way through when it really starts to click and I actually think I paused and said 'oooh nicely done out loud'!

Tahir also weaves some well loved tropes into the plot, in unexpected ways which I loved.

I haven't read any of Sabaa Tahir's other works, so it isn't a prerequisite to reading Heir, however I now am off to start the The Ember in the Ashes series due to how much I loved this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved Sabaa Tahir other books, so I was super excited when I heard this was coming out!
And I can confirm this is another fantastic book from Tahir.
Such a page turner, I wasn't bored for a second!

4 Stars!

Bleeding Skiessssss, it’s back!

Thank you to Netglley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is by far my most anticipated read of the year. For anyone that has known me on Goodreads there are a few books/series that have my whole heart and one of them unsurprisingly is An Ember In The Ashes, as soon as I knew this was coming I was desperate to get my hands on it and was super lucky to be able to get one!

So about Heir, this takes place around 20 years after A Sky Beyond The Storm ends and we’re following a whole cast of characters. I don’t want to go into too much detail in regard to what happens per arc so I will try to stay vague and not mention any major plot points whiner I’m at risk of spoiling certain aspects!

We have Aiz who you see is in a rough patch, she’s an orphan who loves her city and wants it to thrive and goes to great lengths to protect her people in anyway that she can. She’s a storyteller and on a mission to find out one more story to complete the tales. I found her chapters the hardest to get through for around 45% and I can’t quite put my finger on why and I think that overall this dampened my reading experience because I’m SUCH a character driven person and I just didn’t enjoy her for so long. I do have to say that her story arc did improve for me and I enjoyed the unravelling of it all.

Let me tell you. There is something about how Sabaa Tahir writes her characters, and the love I have for Quil was pretty much automatic! I found him to be so likeable and so endearing, you can see where his training with Helene and Elias has come in and he has the quiet aura but where you just know he could take plenty of people out. His relationships were SO interesting, seeing him with his friends who are like a solid unit and how they work together and then his involvement with other characters along the way. I really like the depth that he has, you see his protectiveness towards the people he cares about and when he cares for someone he cares for them deeply, he’s struggling with his responsibilities and what he must do but feels like he can’t say no.

Finally we have Sirsha who is a really interesting character. She is a Tracker who uses the elements to help her be guided to what she seeks. She’s also on the run (kind of), from her family and if she sees them there will be hell to pay. I think you really get a good understanding of her characters, she’s been through a lot and finds it hard to trust, she puts on a very sarcastic front but deep down you can see how much she cares and she holds onto things and puts a lot of blame on herself. She feels deeply and you can see she’s trying not to!

Now onto all of the little bits!

I would say that it is necessary to read An Ember in the Ashes before reading this, there are so many little tidbits bits and nods that as an Ember fan I absolutely adored. I think knowing what happened in Ember makes you understand characters motives and because we do see a cast of characters from Ember you’d kind of be spoilt so just bear that in mind.

Just speaking of Ember, I LOVEDDDDDDD the parental vibes we got and how protective they are of the children and seeing Helene really trying to help guide Quil but also this sense of protectiveness. In one of the chapters it talks about something that Quil saw from Helene’s POV and honestly I thought I can’t go through the trauma of all of this again, but I ATE IT UP!

I do think the “twist” was slightly obvious, although I found it obvious I still enjoyed it because I think I could point out the why’s and then it raised more questions for me throughout. Speaking of the twist I do think that for anyone who liked the aspect of The Nightbringer and the unravelling of who they were then you’d really like this aspect as their is a person ripping out peoples hearts, but who is it and why?!

There’s something about Sabaa Tahir’s writing that draws me in and once I’m invested I don’t want to put it down. At the start of the month I found it hard to read and was so excited because I got an arc, but luckily the slump was no more and I could really dive in deep for the later half, so I think upon reflection this may go to 5 stars once I re-read (because I always love a good re-read!)

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! I honestly could write so much more but I’m trying to avoid spoilers like the plague! For anyone that loved Ember, I hope that this is just as good for you!

Heir is a brilliant, awe-inspiring, addictive, marvel of a book. I adored every character, even when I hated them. The twists had me gasping aloud and falling back in my seat — every time I thought I had guessed where it was going, I was delighted to be wrong. The separate worlds of the characters feel richly realised, and how their stories intertwine is impossible to predict until it happens. All of the different parts of the world are distinct, with the story feeling confidently and deeply rooted in the lore. The different parts of the world interlink in brilliant ways, none of it feeling underdeveloped or as mere plot-devices. I genuinely adore the characters. Quil is a wonderfully rare main character whose fundamental goodness and heroism never feels dull or simplistic. Sirsha is so realistically hardened by her experiences, and her slow transformation is wonderful to see. Finally Aiz: the way her story changes and evolves alongside her is always shocking and never boring, with a foreboding sense of inevitability. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I read a book this long this quickly. My only hope is to have the next book in the duology in my hands ASAP.