Heir by Sabaa Tahir: Characters, spice, trigger warnings & review

27 Sept

Heir by Sabaa Tahir synopsis/summary:

Prepare for the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic new fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award winning author Sabaa Tahir about love, legacy, and vengeance.

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.

Heir characters.

There are three main characters in Heir by Sabaa Tahir, narrated from the third person point of view:

Main characters.

Aiz bet-Dafra
Quil (Full name: Zacharias Marcus Livius Aquillus Farrar)
Sirsha Westering

Major supporting characters.

Sufiyan Veturius
Cero
Arelia

Other supporting and minor characters.

Ruhyan (“Ruh”)
Mother Div
Tas
Sister Noa
Sister Olnas
Tiral bet-Hiwa
Loli Temba
Hani
Jak
Finh
Kithka
Gil
Revna
J’yan Deshma
R’zwana
D’rudo Inashi
Karinna
Zuriya
Laia of Serra
Elias Veturius
Helene Acquilla
Ilar of Ankana
Bani al-Mauth
High Cleric Dovan
Ambassador Ifalu
Triarch Oona
Triarch Ghaz
Triarch Hiwa
Musa of Adisa
Vissellius
Mater Andricar
Neita of Tribe Sadh
Rallius
Migva
Get Heir here.

Heir by Sabaa Tahir book review.

My rating: ★★★★★

Spice level: 0.5/5, Mild and steamy, not explicit and fade-to-black.

When I was much younger, I found escapism in books and authors like Enid Blyton, J.K. Rowling, and Roald Dahl. They were a good time, but let’s not pretend they were winning any diversity awards unless you count Moonface as a breakout star.

Fast forward and I’m so glad things have become more inclusive in literature since I was a child. Heir has the revolutionary concept of different skin shades and tones amongst main characters (same deal for AEITA), one of them being brown eyes, brown skin, and black hair on a three-dimensional FMC, Sirsha Westering, and portrayed like it’s the most natural thing in the world, as it should be.

It’s painfully obvious this book hit home for me, making me feel seen in ways my childhood reads never did. But it wasn’t just my sassy queen Sirsha stealing the show for me. I also felt supremely connected to the other MCs, Quil and Aiz, and even the supporting side characters were serving up personality, layers, flaws and shades of grey.

Additionally, I thought the world-building was mesmerising—rich with culture and even language."Jaldi" is a word I caught which is Hindi/Urdu, some characters have names with glottal stops etc.

Moreover, the storytelling and plot were ace, with brutal themes that are all too relevant today. Mind your triggers: Genocide, colonisation, war, death, poverty/suffering, child death, mentioned family violence and abuse.

Furthermore, I never felt bogged down by info dumps or suffocated by action scenes (which are plentiful). You can truly see how much Tahir has levelled up as a writer from her debut to this book. It’s classified as YA, but it didn’t feel overly young. There’s some mild fade-to-black spice, and the characters are aged around 20, so it strikes a good balance.

My one nitpick? I prefer shorter chapters, and some of them are quite long. But that’s a minor quibble in the grand scheme.

Now, let’s address my bold decision to read this series out of order. Let me save you the suspense: If you don’t want spoilers for An Ember in the Ashes , do yourself a favour and read that series first. I only read the first book before diving into Heir, and while I did spoil myself a bit, it was fine. That said, knowing a little about AEITA characters like Laia, Elias, and Helene added an extra layer of enrichment and enjoyment.

Bottom line: I highly recommend reading the entire AEITA quartet first. I’m not here to tell you how to live your life though, so if you wanna read this as a standalone, you definitely can.

I know I’ve seemingly given out plenty of 4 and 5 stars this year willy-nilly. Maybe I’m easily pleased, maybe I rate based on mood and enjoyment, maybe I have impeccable taste in bookish friends who filter out the duds (you know who you are), maybe I'm super picky with my reading choices, maybe I'm hyper-aware of what floats my boat, maybe I don't take star ratings seriously, maybe I'm a Starman waiting in the sky, or maybe it’s a mix of all that. Either way, yes, I’m giving this one another 5 stars (6 in my head) and I'm not sorry.

If you love high fantasy with incredible characters, you may need Sabaa Tahir in your life. Consider this my highest recommendation.

My heartfelt thanks to Hachette Australia & New Zealand | Atom for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

View my review on GoodReads here!

Heir by Sabaa Tahir book FAQs.

SPOILER ALERT:

Some answers may spoil Heir if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.

What are the content & trigger warnings for Heir by Sabaa Tahir?

Genocide
Colonisation
Blood and gore
Violence
Murder and death
Child death
Family violence and abuse
Complicated family relationships
War
Classism
Grief

Can Heir be read as a standalone?

Yes, Heir can be read as a standalone duology separate from An Ember in the Ashes. However, I would highly recommend enriching your experience by reading the AEITA quartet first, as there are characters who cross over from the series, plus plenty of fun AEITA Easter eggs to find in Heir.

Are Laia, Elias and Helene in Heir?

Yes, you’ll get to see some of your favourite characters such as Laia, Elias and Helene from An Ember in the Ashes series reappear in Heir with minor supporting roles.

What Heir’s age rating?

Heir by Sabaa Tahir is Young Adult (YA) fantasy so roughly aimed at readers from 12-18 however, Heir can be enjoyed by anyone over 18 too, trust me, I’m way older. And I didn’t find it too young for my tastes.

Is Heir by Sabaa Tahir spicy?

Heir has a steamy scene or two but they aren’t detailed explicitly and are more of a fade-to-black.

Spice level: 🌶
0.5/5, mild.

What are the steamy or mildly spicy chapters in Heir by Sabaa Tahir?

Chapter 32
Chapter 43

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