Quick Synopsis – Heir 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.

Song This Reminds Me Of – Heart of Glass by Blondie

Publication Date – Oct. 1, 2024

Content Notes – There is a lot of darker themes in this book including violence against children, child death, child soldiers, and torture. There are a lot of characters dealing with grief and depression.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐out of 5

Review – When I saw Sabaa Tahir was writing another novel in the Ember in The Ashes universe, I thought “Sign me up, I’m ready to be hurt again.” I was not disappointed. This story is set in the same world as Ember in the Ashes, but 20 years later and follows new characters (Quil, Sirsha, and Aiz). Though there are a lot of familiar faces as we go through the story. I don’t think you have to have read the original trilogy to understand Heir, but it would help.

Quil is going to be the next emperor of the Martials, and he is wondering if he can be the heir his people need. Sirsha has been banished from her people, and she takes a dangerous tracking job to track down a murderer. Aiz is from the slums of her city, but she believes in the prophecy where Mother Div will return and save her people.

I really liked this book, but I did have a few qualms. It wasn’t until I was like 30% through the book that I was actually hooked. I also thought the storytelling device of having staggered timelines was actually very confusing. I also felt like the characters from the original trilogy should have grown more since it’s been 20 years.

Even though I had a couple of issues, I loved this book. I loved returning to the world and seeing what had changed. The characters were fresh, and even though they were powerful, they weren’t depicted as all-knowing and all-powerful. I hate when I’m reading a book and the character is 18 with no faults because they are the chosen all-powerful one. I’m going to be hanging on until the second book is released.

Thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC. All opinions are my own.