Book Review: Heir by Sabaa Tahir

Title: Heir

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Series: Heir Duology

Page Length: 512

Publication Date: Oct. 1, 2024

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Synopsis: 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.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir masterfully interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with the burdens of power, the treachery of love and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed. Get ready for a dark and breathless journey that will captivate readers and that may cost these young people their lives―and their hearts. Literally.

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon    |   Barnes & Noble

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Wow! Sabaa Tahir proves once again that she is a master storyteller with this immersive and layered novel with amazing characters, a gripping plot, and intricately developed world building. This was even better than I expected, and I expected it to be great. I absolutely loved the first series, An Ember in the Ashes, and was so excited to return to this dark and deadly world. Like the first series, Heir starts off intense and doesn’t let up AT ALL! It’s a brilliant read and a spectacular start to a new series.

Heir is told from three main POVs, and each perspective is compelling and so engrossing. Aiz’s story was heartbreaking from the start, and I immediately sympathized with her character. She’s suffered so much loss and grief, and her thirst for vengeance is strong. Quil also seeks vengeance but for an entirely different reason. He mourns the loss of two young people whose deaths he feels deeply. Quil also struggles with his parentage. Being the son of a monstrous man weighs heavily on him, as does the crown he is to inherit. The third POV is Sirsha. Sirsha is one of my favorite characters, and her journey alone and with Quil and his bff and cousin is suspenseful with strong quest and found family vibes. They go on a perilous journey, and it’s almost impossible for any of them to let their guard down.

There are so many characters I’d like to talk about because even though the story isn’t told from all of their perspectives, they are all important to the story. Quil’s bff Sufiyan is fabulous, Aiz’s mentor is super wise, and I liked the friendship between Quil, his cousin Aurelia, and Sufiyan. The trio make a good team, and they make an even better one when the mysterious Sirsha joins them. And I’m kind of hoping Sufiyan and Aurelia end up together because I definitely felt some chemistry between them. Speaking of chemistry, Quil and Sirsha have a boatload of it, and I loved it!

Sufiyan is the son of Laia and Elias, and I have to say, I adored that we got to see Laia and Elias again. Their story in AEITA was incredible, so to see their lives 20 years after the conclusion of their series is more than I ever hoped for. Quil’s aunt is Helene, who is now empress, so we get to see her and several other characters from the original series, too. Though these secondary characters have important roles in the story, you don’t have to have read the first series to follow this one.

All of these characters are as richly layered and explored as the setting and world-building, and they all have such interesting and unique stories to tell. I love how you see them and their stories slowly intertwine. It made for some interesting subplots and a bunch of unexpected surprises. There were a couple of revelations that I reread because I literally couldn’t believe my eyes. I don’t want to give anything away, but throughout the story, many characters are hunting down a predator that’s killing children, and OH, MY WORD. I just didn’t expect what happened to happen! It took the whole story in a direction that I totally didn’t expect, and I loved every shocking minute of it.

I can’t say enough about Heir. It’s one of my favorite reads of the year and one I highly recommend to readers of YA fantasy. Special thanks to NetGalley and publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

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“Funny isn’t it. How sometimes the first time you meet someone, your heart knows, even if your mind doesn’t.”

“I know the strength that lives within your heart, Aiz bet-Dafra. It is time you learned too.”

The heart that gives first, takes last.

“She realized that she was witnessing some power struggle far above her station. One that had been going on for longer than she knew. It did not matter whar she’d done. There was a greater storm here, and she and the clerics were caught in its currents.”

• found family
• slow burn romance
• magic
• a quest

Sabaa Tahir grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s 18-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother’s comic book stash and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.