Heir by Sabaa Tahir

 

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 hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she's willing to give up. 

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, 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 interweaves the lives of 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.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/206780522-heir

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

It’s been a while since I’ve been in the Ember of the Ashes world. But reading this story reminded me just how much I loved this series! And now here we are back again. 20 years have passed since that series ended. But we see plenty of familiar faces and new faces as they embark on a whole new journey and problem arising. We have three point of view characters in this book. Quil, who you will remember from the previous series was just a baby. Well he is grown up and the heir to the Empire and the nephew of Empress Helene. But taking the throne isn’t exactly what he wants. Too bad he doesn’t have a say, and when his home is attacked, he will come to realize that defending his people is where he wants to be. Then we have Sirsha. A tracker with magic who finds herself hired to find a monster on the loose. A terrible monster who has been killing children throughout the lands. But she’ll realize that there a lot more to this monster than she first believed. And then there is Aiz who wants to help her people after all the terrible things they have been through and are currently going through. But she’ll find herself going down a dark path where sacrifices will have to be made. I’ll admit, it took me a hot minute to get back into this world and the story. But once you start getting to know these characters (for me, I loved Quil and Sirsha), then you’ll want to find out what happens to them. Especially when we get some crazy twists and turns. There hit a point in the story where I just couldn’t put it down! And after that ending? Well, I’ll need the sequel asap! If you loved the previous series, you are definitely going to like this one!