Fresh Fridays: Heir (#1) by Sabaa Tahir

Fresh Fridays: On Friday, I review a brand new series (ie. only has one book released so far) to see if the series is worth keeping up with. Here is this week’s offering:

The Heir Duology is a spin-off of the An Ember in the Ashes Series

Other books planned to be in the series:

Synopsis for Heir (from Goodreads):

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.

Author: Sabaa Tahir
Series: Heir Duology

This is a spinoff of the An Ember in the Ashes Series.

# of Books: 2 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: No
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Supernatural, Magic, Dystopian, Romance, Action
Heat Rating: cool *mature subject matter*
Point of View: Third Person, Multiple
Publication Date: October 2024 – ongoing
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

WARNING: If you have not finished the original series, this review may have spoilers!

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I didn’t realize that there was a spin-off series for An Ember in the Ashes until I read the synopsis for this book. But I was so on board. If you’ve read my review of that series (here), you’d now that I didn’t love how things wrapped there (though I understood why), so I couldn’t wait to see the follow-up for the actions.

How Does It Compare To The Original?

–Easy World to Slip Back Into–

I was worried that I’d need to remember everything that happened in the original series (which I don’t) but that wasn’t necessary. It was an easy world to get reacquainted with though. You never get bogged down with info dumping about the world or the characters. It just has a great flow to it as a reader.

–Constantly Weaving and Building–

I love stories with multiple POVs and this is a perfect example of why that is the case. I just loved how this book slowly pulled me in and then kept building layer upon layer. As I said above, the flow when it came to setting up the story was executed perfectly to keep me coming back. Getting more and more involved with this characters and seeing how their stories were all connected gave a suspense to the novel that I wasn’t expecting but appreciated.

Anything I Didn’t Like?

–I Had the Big Twist Figured Out–

Once I started to put the pieces together, I had the big reveal figured out. And maybe as the reader you are supposed. But there just wasn’t anything that was revealed along the way that had me gasping OH MY!

My Audiobook Experience

I really enjoyed the audiobook production. Each lead has their own narrator so it was easy to figure out whose chapter I had stopped listening to when I had to pause it. Though I will admit, it probably would have been helpful for me to have the ability to flip the pages back as a refresher for some plot points and character connections.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

While I love this world, I am glad that this series will only be a duology. I think it will give the finale a stronger finish with the appropriate pacing. Very excited to see how this all wraps up!

My Rating: 4/5

Heir 4/5 | Book 2 TBP

Perfect for fans of the original series (who doesn’t love revisiting some of their favourite characters?!) and new fantasy readers alike!

Read if You Like: slower stories, world-building, high fantasy
Avoid if You: dislike slow stories, want more romance, don’t like supernatural elements