It’s been a while since I’ve been in the An Ember in the Ashes world and I was scared I’d forgotten it all. And while, yes I did forget quite a bit, Heir reinvigorated my love for these characters. Tahir’s writing has become even more developed and these characters rip your heart out! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts on Heir.
Summary
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.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I’m going to admit, at the beginning I was wary. But by the ending, I was fully 100% committed and I need the sequel ASAP. Not only is Heir a story about what happens when the line for what we would do, who we would sacrifice, keeps moving, but it’s also a swoony story! Heir manages to balance a world rife in politics, ‘necessary’ casulaties, and the treaties and lies of nations. It packs a punch of asking hard questions about what our safety is worth. About what we would do to fight for our nation, for ourselves, and who we would allow to fall.
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The pace is slow at the beginning because Tahir is only warming us back into this world and these new characters. Even if I didn’t fall in love with all of them, the ones that I was on the fence for still made me think. Their decisions forced me to question what I would do and how easily the right decisions can go the wrong way. How easily we could move our own benchmarks. Go past the things we said we would never do. At the same time, Heir features one of my favorite romances of the entire series. It’s a relationship with enemies to lovers vibes and which features banter galore. If you love a character who’s default is banter especially within a relationship, this is for you!
Find Heir on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.