#heir by sabaa tahir

[willowstar204]

Back here because I'm re-reading Heir for third time and I need more OG Ember content in my life <3

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[for-hiraeth]

reading a tone of fantasy books results in one thing: FUCKING STAY AWAY FROM READHEADS. (Yes. Kvothe is involved. The only people that kvothe didn't fuck was me and Denna. Yes.)

[totchipanda]

Emberlings, where you at! Have you read or are reading Heir? We must discuss!

[lucyshypemaster]

for anyone that has read heir by sabaa tahir, can someone just tell me ALL the helene cameos because she's literally the only character I care about from the aeita series

[leiawritesstories]

i'm so excited omg HERE WE FREAKING GO

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

[ x ]

🦇 Heir Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite fantasy book?❓ 🦇 An orphan. An outcast. A prince. And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees. An old tragedy fuels Aiz's need for vengeance, while love of her people that propels her. Sirsha agrees to use her magic to hunt a killer who is murdering children across the Martial Empire. And Quil is the Empire's crown prince, though he's loath to take the throne. Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of these three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives—and their hearts. Literally.

💜 *Insert a plethora of creative curses here* For fig's sake. I can't even begin to describe the pure AWE I have, not only for this story, but for Sabaa Tahir, fantasy and Muslim-American literary goddess, in general. I honestly can't think of a story I've read that was so well intertwined, so fully conceptualized, while respecting roots of the series that came before it. Earlier this year, I had the fortune to read The Fragile Threads of Power by VE Schwab, which continued her Shades of Magic series. Reading Heir sparked that same feeling; the sensation of returning home after a long journey through other vast worlds. I'm grateful that Penguin Teen hosted the Ember in the Ashes read-along this summer. While Heir introduces us to new characters, 20 years after the Ember in the Ashes series ends, each mention and emergence of a familiar character provided a sweet taste of nostalgia I didn't know I needed. These books have seeped themselves deep within my marrow since 2015, and Sabaa Tahir has been on my favorite/auto-buy author for just as long. She's the first Muslim-American to win the National Book Award for Young People's Literature; a feat that gives me hope and inspiration as a Muslim-American writer.

💜 Reading Heir, you can see how much Tahir's prose has flourished over the past decade. Despite stepping back into this familiar world, it's richer, more vivid. The action is just as intense and ruthless, the characters undeniably unique. The underlying themes resonate deeply. I loved every nod to South Asian, Pakistani, and Islamic culture. It's always the five-star book reviews I struggle with the most. I could talk about this story for hours, but I'd spoil so much that I want you to experience for yourself.

💙 Don't worry: if you haven't read the An Ember in the Ashes quartet, you can still enjoy Heir. The three main characters have their own vivid story to tell, and while there are mentions of many beloved characters from the original series, they're supporting cast to Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil. I will say that the first part of the story took a moment to adjust to, and there's the lingering question of HOW these characters are connected, but once you realize how the breadcrumbs were laid out for you, you'll realize the execution is FLAWLESS. The fast pace keeps you on your toes, the ever-growing tension driving you to the last page. As for the underlying romantic story, AH! It was perfectly built, the sass and chemistry playful without stealing from the main plot, yet heart-wrenching; that kind of painful that keeps you invested long-term. OH! And can we talk about our villain? That BUILD?! I love a villain with reason--a character who doesn't realize they're the villain at all, someone with a mission that goes about it in all the wrong ways. This story had EVERYTHING and then some. I'll be recommending it for the next 20 years.

🦇 Recommended for fans of The Red Queen series, The Lunar Chronicle series, and The Throne of Glass series.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🫀First in a Duology ✨ Young Adult High Fantasy/Romantasy 👑 Political Intrigue ⛏ Enemies to Lovers 💓 Found Family 👁 Multi POV

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #Heir

💬 Quotes ❝ Get what you need. Forget the rest. ❞ ❝ "You are a daughter of the evening star. You are not meant to be caged." ❞ ❝ “I give my heart unto her keeping, a gift with no compare.” ❞ ❝ "The past will distract you from the now. And it’s the now that matters.” ❞ ❝ “You seek to understand the fibers that make the world,” Loli Temba said, “but not your own pain, nor that of others. You’d be better served understanding the latter.” ❞ ❝ He looked at her like her secrets were the sea, and he was at home in dark water. ❞ ❝ “Quil—” His name rolled off her tongue, a prayer. “Please—” “Mmm,” he said. “You should say that more, Sirsha. I’d give you whatever you wanted.” ❞ ❝ “Care about yourself as much as you care about those you love. As much as— as we care about you.” ❞ ❝ Sirsha grabbed his hand, wishing she could articulate the desire suffusing her, something more than I need you and I wish I didn’t. ❞

[jessread-s]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩🗻🪶Review:

A captivating spin-off that will make your heart pound. 

“Heir” follows Aiz (an orphan), Sirsha (an outcast), and Quil (a prince) as they grapple with the burdens of power, the treachery of love, the devastating consequences of greed, and a killer who will bring the empire to its knees. 

I loved everything about this book, which is not surprising seeing that the “An Ember in the Ashes” quartet is one of my favorite series of all time! “Heir” takes place in the same world, but 20 years later, and follows the next generation of Tahir’s most beloved characters. It warmed my heart to be able to catch up with Helene, Elias, and Laia after so long (even though their happily ever afters were tampered with by Tahir) and see new dynamics form between them and Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil. 

The characters are the driving force of this story. Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil are three-dimensional, contending with complex inner conflicts. Aiz is devoted to her faith and her people, but she lets power corrupt her humanity. After being banished from her tribe, Sirsha struggles with trusting others, something she must face head on when she discovers that she alone cannot hunt down the killer who has murdered children across the Empire. Born to a Plebeian and an Illustrian, brought into the world by a Scholar, and raised among the Tribes, Quil feels as if he belongs nowhere. What’s more, he’s loathe to inherit the throne in fear of becoming his father (the most hated emperor in the history of his people). 

I particularly enjoyed reading from Sirsha and Quil’s point-of-view because of the relationship that developed between them when fate crossed their paths. While not the focus of the book, the subtle romance made my heart flutter!

The alternating perspectives allow the reader to explore the Empire alongside the characters. Tahir builds off the fictional world she established in the “An Ember in the Ashes” quartet by seamlessly introducing new cultures, religions, peoples, and magic systems. The dual timelines also add an element of intrigue. As with her other books, Tahir doesn’t reveal all her cards at once, slowly relinquishing information the further we get into the story until the part each character plays in the larger narrative becomes clear. I’m on the edge of my seat as I wait for book 2!

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[autumnbabylon]

Ok, but this was🔥🔥🔥🔥

[frozenoj]

I can't believe Heir ended that way and there are NO. FICS. No soul coin fanart? Nothing? 😭

[shinia]

OMGGG NEW BOOK IN THE SAME UNIVERSE AS AEITA ??!??! SOMEBODY SEDATE ME ???

[jiniawadbooks]

"When you sacrifice other people's children on the altar of your ambition, it's only a matter of time before you'll be willing to sacrifice your own."

[freddycartr]

review for heir by sabaa tahir. spoilers obviously.

i went into this book expecting the same kind of strength that i take from helene and elias to be present in at least quil. i expected quil to be every bit of deadly violence and strength that was honed into him by helene and elias. i expected him to be as ruthless and brutal like the mask he was trained to be, but he instead runs away from four men when helene would have taken them out easily. instead he’s a love sick puppy. who is afraid of his duty…and sabaa genuinely said that he loves his people? no, honey, leaving your aunt in a ruined castle while you run and go on a journey where you act like an idiot for the entirety of the book and not the leader you were fucking born to be is fucking ridiculous. the difference between him and helene is that helene did not want the throne, and yet she is the empress who did not abandon her people, who stayed in antium, who would have never fucking run away. she even tells him, “skies, knows i’ll fight.” she does not give up even when her city fell, (again) even when her family was murdered in front of her eyes. she. fucking. does. not. give. in. like this is the woman who got caught by aiz just to kill her, “the only reason you caught me is because i let you. the woman smiled, a knifes blade shinning in the dark.” (also that bitch does not have the right to be in the same room as helene acquilla). that is the kind of metal that i was expecting for quil. but instead what i get is a fucking child who spends his time being manipulated, doesn’t kill four men, didn’t know what to do when they sail a kergari boat, can barely come up with a plan, and a love sick puppy. he allows an ankanese man to drive a blade into his own throat because quil failed to check that his ropes were properly bound—as if helene or elias would ever do something so stupid. he said he was trained like a mask, by helene and elias no less, yet, he flickers—sometimes acting like the warrior he was born and raised to be, and others acting like a chicken with its head cut off—getting caught and walking right into traps.

i expected him love him immediately but i found myself drawn to sufiyan and tas rather than helene aquilla’s fucking nephew. why? because tas ran fucking circles around everyone in that brothel and is a damn good spy. because he’s actually clever. because sufiyan is just as wicked and deadly like his father. like the way he put a dagger to sirsha’s throat after meeting her for a second, yup, definitely elias’s kid. oh my god, i love keri and how in the span of two scenes, she is more metal and strength than quil showed the entire book. i would have preferred kari’s pov to aiz (the fucking little bitch).

oh, the romance was fucking awful. sabaa tried to be something she’s not with the romance aspect. like “ugh. his voice. deep and warm and sure,” like i think i just gagged. how the hell is this the same woman who wrote “his cloak falls away from me, and my body is against his. he pulls me to his chest, his hands running down my back, clasping my thigh, drawing me closer. closer. i arch into him. revealing in his strength, his fire. the alchemy between us, twisting and burning and melding, until it feels like gold.” or “don’t tell me you’ve not seen a naked solider before, captain. a long pause, then a chuckle, low and husky. it makes me feel strange. like he’s about to tell me a secret. like i would lean in closer to hear it. not one like you, blood shrike.” oh and not to mention, where the fuck is the consent? with both of the sex scenes. just because two characters want each other does not mean they should not have verbal consent. even avitas asks for helne’s consent, “tell me why you're here." “you know why." i try to turn away, but he will not let me. “but i need you to say it. please." oh my god, the controlling/possessive aspect of their relationship fucking made me so mad. for example, “the sure way that he held her, as if she belonged to him and always had.” and “she wanted to throw him to the ground and climb on top of him and claim him the way he was claiming her.” what. the. hell. sabaa. oh, and not to mention, “tell me, sirsha, how i am supposed to know when you want me if you never touch me? assume i always want you.” (359) or “i’m more interested in the punishments for breaking them,” (358) when sirsha says they need to set ground rules for their relationship, and quil immediately is, in sirsha’s own words “in direct defiance of her orders,” breaking the boundaries that she set isn’t hot, that isn’t sexy. that is just controlling, not healthy, and horrible writing. quil doesn’t get to decide what’s best for sirsha, or their relationship, and the way that helene aquila or lia of serra, if put in the same situation, would have put a dagger to the man’s throat for daring to think that a man knows what best for them. i don’t have the words—what makes tahir’s books so beautiful is love is a subplot, not the whole damn book. her characters are driven by grief, hope, rage, and vengeance—not some love sick puppy like quil who feels lost, and fearful—like he has the same blood as helene aquila, who survived everything being stripped from her, his mother survived the violence of marcus, and he was trained by elias and, yet, he feels like a child, out of his depth and with no bite or steel. moreover, as sabaa tahir is writing a YA novel where young girls read and learn, having multiple sex scenes without verbal consent is downright unforgivable.

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: Heir

I read Sabaa Tahir’s Ember Quartet long enough ago that only the first one, An Ember in the Ashes, was out — and then had to wait, not so patiently, for each subsequent installment. With nods to the days of the Roman Empire, An Ember in the Ashes features a brutal military school (sans dragons) that might feel familiar for Fourth Wing fans and is loaded with subterfuge, betrayal, and romantic tension. As the series spun on, I was impressed with way Sabaa Tahir expanded her reach and wove together all her characters. She continually deepened their motivations and surprised me with twist after turn. The final book culminated with an epic battle and a bittersweet yet satisfying ending.

When I heard that Sabaa Tahir had a new book on the horizon, I didn't know it would be returning to the world of the Ember Quartet. Heir opens in an entirely different location, the isolated and impoverished country of Kegar, and is action-packed from the start. I finished the first chapter and reluctantly turned to the next (since she left her first character, Aiz, in quite the tight spot), encountering a new POV. As soon as I saw his name — Zacharias Marcus Livius Aquillus Farrar, Quil for short — I knew I was back in the Martial Empire.

Heir is told from three POV’s. Aiz, an orphan from the lowest rung of Kegar society, with nothing to lose. Quil, the reluctant and ambivalent heir to the Martial throne. And Sirsha, an exile from her native country, a tracker for hire that just wants to make enough money to leave her nomadic existence behind and settle somewhere warm. Sirsha’s hunt for a killer puts her on a collision course with Quil, who is searching for answers after the Kegar launch a surprise attack on the Martial Empire, with more devastating effect than anyone thought was possible. And Aiz — well, I’ll let the reader discover her story for themselves.

Beyond the high-stakes action and potentially world-ending ramifications, Sabaa Tahir’s books are just FUN to read. Her characters share great banter in the midst of running for their lives and trying to find a heart-destroying demon. She employs some tropes that I recognized from my romance reading that made me grin when she walked characters right into them. And her plot twists are wonderfully and surprisingly complicated. As I noted in my reading journal after finishing Heir, she leaves her characters in quite a pickle. I’m so curious to find out what she has planned for them in the second book of this duology.

We still have signed copies available, so stop by and pick up your copy today!

— Lori

[bookedallnight]

REVIEW: HEIR

AHHHHHHH! IT WAS SO GOOD!

Prepare for the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic new fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award winning author Sabaa Tahir about love, legacy, and vengeance. 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…

[remusfinglupin]

I had so much fun at the @penguinteen Fall 2024 Preview event and received a bunch of new ARCS!!

[yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere]

it's so magical because when i was thinking about it more i realized MORE THAN TWO OF MY FAVORITE YA BOOK SERIES DID THIS. which is so incredible and how lucky am i to keep revisiting my friends that i loved as a teenager when we were all teenagers and now we're adults? CRAZY.

Holly did it with TFOTA. Tahereh did it as well with Shatter Me. Sabaa T did the same thing with An Ember In The Ashes when 10+ or so years duology spinoff series main ch. is Helene's nephew. Eoin C made a spinoff series about Artemis Fowl's twin brothers. I KINDA? SORTA? WISH LIBBA BRAY DID THE SAME WITH THE DIVINERS. Marie Lu did the same with REBEL, The Selection Series' last two books have kids of main characters becoming the leads. I just think it's SUCH A GIFT to the readers who want to keep coming back. It's such a lovely way to keep the love alive and blooming.

if i had a nickel every time an iconic book series had a spin off that focuses on the 10 year old, sheltered blonde boy whom the original characters did EVERYTHING to protect growing up to have an enemies to lovers trope with a badass woman, i’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but its weird that it happened twice.