Lauren
“There is beauty in the dark, and strength.”
Heir is a multi-POV YA fantasy following a cast of characters whose paths become intertwined due to an impending war, a love for their people, and a desire for freedom.
First and foremost, Heir is a YA novel, marketed to teens 14+. However, as someone who works with this demographic, I’d really suggest this more for 16+. It’s also important to note that this book is marketed at the first in a series that “takes places in the same world as An Ember in the Ashes” and while you technically can read this without that series, you will miss out on a lot. Several characters from that series not only are on page often, but one of them is directly involved with the twist at the end.
All that not be said, if you’ve read a Sabaa Tahir book before, you know she’s not afraid to kill her darlings and doesn’t pull any punches, and Heir is no different. The book prepares you up front for one of the deaths, but somehow it was still heartbreaking. Throughout this read, I genuinely never knew if anyone was safe.
What made this book special was the characters. I will say, I really hated being in the one POV, but you’re not supposed to enjoy it. The main characters are Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil, though several side characters are also POV chapters. Aiz is a devout girl who is willing to do anything to bring her people back home. Sirsha is a loner and skilled tracker with an affinity for the elements. Quil is the crowned prince of the Empire, and though he loves the people, he has no desire for the throne. Each of these characters felt so real and had their own distinct personalities and goals (I’d say I would kill for Sirsha, but honestly, she could do it better than me - also love having a tall girlie as a main character).
My largest complaint about this book is that the conclusion to the duology has not been announced yet, so I have no idea how long I will be stuck thinking about that ending. One small thing to note: I did a mix of reading physically and via audiobook, and while most of the narrators are great, the one for Suffyian didn’t differentiate characters very well with his voice. Not the end of the world, but did make those sections a little confusing.
As always, below will contain spoilers as I need to get these out of my head. . . . . . . . . . This was one of those rare books that I felt the need to highlight everything. Here is a collection of my favorite quotes: - “Grief is a strange beast. Some battle it, their souls scarred from its abuse. Some bury it, and live life waiting for it to reemerge. And some tread water, the grief a weight about their necks. Every reminder makes the weight heavier.” - “It was good there were two beds. Excellent, in fact. Quil dropped his pack onto the bed closest to the door, and Sirsha wordlessly took the other.” (Who could hate Quil??) - “We’re with you. You’re not alone.” - “Guilt, Sirsha decided the next morning as she saddled her horse, was a useless emotion.” (Who could hate Sirsha???) - “Your heart knows, even if your mind doesn’t.” - “‘For the people’ was a blood-soaked shield brandished by tyrants everywhere.”
Additionally, I feel like I need to vent about Aiz. To be frank, I hated her POV from the start. At first I found the holy mission storyline to be annoying (seemingly intentionally so), and once it became clear that her arc started in the past and I could see where it was headed, it was hard being in her head. In a way, I get it. She was desperate. She was used and abused and life was horribly unfair to her, so when she thought she was on the right path to do something good, she couldn’t release her grasp on it. Yet, I find her utterly unredeamable. She justifies her actions as “for her people” and when someone presses back that killing others - especially innocents - doesn’t make her better than her enemies, she claims the sacrifices are blessed or those she kills deserved it for ignoring her starving people. Not to mention that she learns Div isn’t really Div and she literally tells herself that she is going to call her Div to justify her actions instead of seeing and facing the errors she made. Even when she gets a bit on a conscious back, she pushes her morals away by saying Ruh’s death was for nothing if she stops now, as if saving those other lives wouldn’t be reason enough (which doubly bothered me because 1. I just don’t believe she loved Ruh since she was always willing to use him, and 2. Why is that the ONLY death that bothers her?). The scene where Cero tried to reason with her over the Mask children was rough, too. She justifies her actions again by calling them “snakes” and criticizing them for fighting back when cornered. I know he was hopeful when Div was no longer attached to her, but I don’t think there is any way to actually save her. I’m kind of disappointed she lived tbh I also had a few random thoughts throughout this story: 1. I know Ruh is dead, but he was called “A child of ancient magic,” by whoever guarded Div. I haven’t quite figured out how, but I know that will come back and be important in the next book. 2. I just don’t believe “Div” couldn’t be sustained on animals. She’s clearly manipulative and Aiz wasn’t willing to take responsibility. (Div is even with a cooking fox at the end, implying to me she could be sustained by animals - and that Sirsha who is fox-like in her cunning and evasiveness has been caught) 3. I found a good portion of the book to be predictable, but somehow I just stopped thinking about the story Aiz was chasing, so having Laia at the end reveal this is likely her fault was wild. That and the mentions of Nightbringer’s events make The Ember in the Ashes series needed for this duology in my opinion. 4. I loved that Sirsha is a tall girl. According to the book, she’s just shy of six feet tall. I love her the way people loved Helene. 5. I found this quote interesting. “There were even jinn, whose ability to manipulate thoughts, fire, stone, and blood made Aiz uneasy.” It makes me wonder if Div is a type of jinn, or if maybe Aiz is. She should have died at the end, she didn’t have Div’s powers, but she lived and saved Cero somehow. 6. “Nan is saying that someone…or something is tied to the Forest of Dusk.” - was this supposed to be Div? I feel like this is something we don’t know yet. Maybe Ruh is?? If we know that the forest is, I don’t remember 7. Lastly, Ruh’s eyes are described 3 times as silver. No one else is said to have silver eyes. I find that interesting/suspicious. We have to learn more about him.
“There is beauty in the dark, and strength.”
Heir is a multi-POV YA fantasy following a cast of characters whose paths become intertwined due to an impending war, a love for their people, and a desire for freedom.
First and foremost, Heir is a YA novel, marketed to teens 14+. However, as someone who works with this demographic, I’d really suggest this more for 16+. It’s also important to note that this book is marketed at the first in a series that “takes places in the same world as An Ember in the Ashes” and while you technically can read this without that series, you will miss out on a lot. Several characters from that series not only are on page often, but one of them is directly involved with the twist at the end.
All that not be said, if you’ve read a Sabaa Tahir book before, you know she’s not afraid to kill her darlings and doesn’t pull any punches, and Heir is no different. The book prepares you up front for one of the deaths, but somehow it was still heartbreaking. Throughout this read, I genuinely never knew if anyone was safe.
What made this book special was the characters. I will say, I really hated being in the one POV, but you’re not supposed to enjoy it. The main characters are Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil, though several side characters are also POV chapters. Aiz is a devout girl who is willing to do anything to bring her people back home. Sirsha is a loner and skilled tracker with an affinity for the elements. Quil is the crowned prince of the Empire, and though he loves the people, he has no desire for the throne. Each of these characters felt so real and had their own distinct personalities and goals (I’d say I would kill for Sirsha, but honestly, she could do it better than me - also love having a tall girlie as a main character).
My largest complaint about this book is that the conclusion to the duology has not been announced yet, so I have no idea how long I will be stuck thinking about that ending. One small thing to note: I did a mix of reading physically and via audiobook, and while most of the narrators are great, the one for Suffyian didn’t differentiate characters very well with his voice. Not the end of the world, but did make those sections a little confusing.
As always, below will contain spoilers as I need to get these out of my head. . . . . . . . . . This was one of those rare books that I felt the need to highlight everything. Here is a collection of my favorite quotes: - “Grief is a strange beast. Some battle it, their souls scarred from its abuse. Some bury it, and live life waiting for it to reemerge. And some tread water, the grief a weight about their necks. Every reminder makes the weight heavier.” - “It was good there were two beds. Excellent, in fact. Quil dropped his pack onto the bed closest to the door, and Sirsha wordlessly took the other.” (Who could hate Quil??) - “We’re with you. You’re not alone.” - “Guilt, Sirsha decided the next morning as she saddled her horse, was a useless emotion.” (Who could hate Sirsha???) - “Your heart knows, even if your mind doesn’t.” - “‘For the people’ was a blood-soaked shield brandished by tyrants everywhere.”
Additionally, I feel like I need to vent about Aiz. To be frank, I hated her POV from the start. At first I found the holy mission storyline to be annoying (seemingly intentionally so), and once it became clear that her arc started in the past and I could see where it was headed, it was hard being in her head. In a way, I get it. She was desperate. She was used and abused and life was horribly unfair to her, so when she thought she was on the right path to do something good, she couldn’t release her grasp on it. Yet, I find her utterly unredeamable. She justifies her actions as “for her people” and when someone presses back that killing others - especially innocents - doesn’t make her better than her enemies, she claims the sacrifices are blessed or those she kills deserved it for ignoring her starving people. Not to mention that she learns Div isn’t really Div and she literally tells herself that she is going to call her Div to justify her actions instead of seeing and facing the errors she made. Even when she gets a bit on a conscious back, she pushes her morals away by saying Ruh’s death was for nothing if she stops now, as if saving those other lives wouldn’t be reason enough (which doubly bothered me because 1. I just don’t believe she loved Ruh since she was always willing to use him, and 2. Why is that the ONLY death that bothers her?). The scene where Cero tried to reason with her over the Mask children was rough, too. She justifies her actions again by calling them “snakes” and criticizing them for fighting back when cornered. I know he was hopeful when Div was no longer attached to her, but I don’t think there is any way to actually save her. I’m kind of disappointed she lived tbh I also had a few random thoughts throughout this story: 1. I know Ruh is dead, but he was called “A child of ancient magic,” by whoever guarded Div. I haven’t quite figured out how, but I know that will come back and be important in the next book. 2. I just don’t believe “Div” couldn’t be sustained on animals. She’s clearly manipulative and Aiz wasn’t willing to take responsibility. (Div is even with a cooking fox at the end, implying to me she could be sustained by animals - and that Sirsha who is fox-like in her cunning and evasiveness has been caught) 3. I found a good portion of the book to be predictable, but somehow I just stopped thinking about the story Aiz was chasing, so having Laia at the end reveal this is likely her fault was wild. That and the mentions of Nightbringer’s events make The Ember in the Ashes series needed for this duology in my opinion. 4. I loved that Sirsha is a tall girl. According to the book, she’s just shy of six feet tall. I love her the way people loved Helene. 5. I found this quote interesting. “There were even jinn, whose ability to manipulate thoughts, fire, stone, and blood made Aiz uneasy.” It makes me wonder if Div is a type of jinn, or if maybe Aiz is. She should have died at the end, she didn’t have Div’s powers, but she lived and saved Cero somehow. 6. “Nan is saying that someone…or something is tied to the Forest of Dusk.” - was this supposed to be Div? I feel like this is something we don’t know yet. Maybe Ruh is?? If we know that the forest is, I don’t remember 7. Lastly, Ruh’s eyes are described 3 times as silver. No one else is said to have silver eyes. I find that interesting/suspicious. We have to learn more about him.