Review: Heir by Sabaa Tahir
Sabaa Tahir returns to the fantasy genre with her much-anticipated spin-off Heir, following the second generation of characters from her bestselling Ember in the Ashes quartet. In Heir, readers join the adventures of three young individuals, grappling with power, grief, tyranny, and a mysterious killer that connects them all.
Aiz is an orphan from the Kegari slums, who is propelled by the desire to satiate her need for revenge, fuelled by an old tragedy at the hands of a tyrant and his peers. When her plan to murder the tyrant fails, she and the other orphans are imprisoned for her actions. Tortured in prison, Aiz is visited by an apparition of Mother Div, the historical ‘Saviour of Kegar’, who encourages Aiz to escape, and find the ending of an ancient story that could resolve all her and her people’s troubles. Sirsha is a tracker, once part of the renowned tribe of magical Jadunas, but is now an outcast doing what she can to survive. When she agrees to a job to track down a killer who has murdered countless children across the Martial Empire, she finds that her abilities will be tested in ways she has never imagined. Quil, the heir to the Martial Empire and nephew of the revered Empress Helene Aquilla, is begrudgingly following along in his aunt’s footsteps. When an attack to the Empire leads him and his closest friends to flee, Quil must take up the responsibilities he has to his Empire and fight back, or risk losing everything he holds dear, again. When the paths and stories of these three individuals intersect, readers will be left on their toes, wanting for more.
For those who haven’t yet read the Ember in the Ashes quartet – fear not! This can be read entirely as a standalone, and I, having not read the Ember quartet, can completely attest to that. This novel is entirely its own; readers are not left perplexed or overwhelmed with the world building, but instead wholly welcome into the storyline with its unique characters and enticing setting. It is a feat in itself that a spin-off can stand so independently on its own, especially since it’s predecessors is one of the biggest series in the modern YA fantasy genre. However, the quartet is alluded to in certain pockets within the novel, granting previous readers little nods to the stories that shaped their understanding of the world prior to Heir.
It is not uncommon that the fantasy worlds we indulge in take influence from the world we live in ourselves. Heir does this, and so pointedly well. Whilst this novel is rooted in fantasy and adventure, the foundation of it lies in the political intrigue woven throughout. Between two warring sides, readers will find similarities in our reality to the one that Tahir writes. Tahir touches on oppression, invasion, and the realities of war, especially for children. The running thread throughout the novel is the killer that Sirsha hunts, whose only modus operandi is that their victim is always a child, with their heart staked out of their chest. This, along with the raging war, alludes to the fact that children will always be collateral damage in the face of power fed by greed. In a heated discussion between two characters, one exclaims:
“When you sacrifice other people’s children on the alter of your ambition, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be willing to sacrifice your own.”
Heir explores that the path to unchecked power is one that will lead to destruction, both of others and of yourself.
This also isn’t a book with twists and turns. You are quietly privy to the plot movements, warned and coaxed into the story with the pieces of the puzzle fitting together in harmony. At the end, you have a fully formed tale, one with a bustling cast of characters and an infinite well of history that any reader will look forward to learning more about. I look forward to the sequel, specifically to see how Sabaa Tahir will continue on from that cliffhanger! In the meantime, I may indulge a little more into this world and finally pick up the Ember quartet.
You can purchase Heir by clicking here.
By Saberin C.