Heir is a complex, spellbinding YA saga of love and intrigue that is set in the familiar magical universe of the An Ember in the Ashes series, by National Book Award winning-author Sabaa Tahir (All My Rage).
"Small-boned, light-skinned" Aiz bet-Dafra, 18, is an orphaned "gutter child" in the crowded city of Kegar. The vile highborn commander of the air squadrons, Tiral bet-Hiwa, bombs and pillages other lands for food. When Aiz attempts to kill Tiral--who has murdered many of her fellow orphans--she is thrown into prison. There, the blessed Mother Div manifests and aids Aiz's escape, promising that the girl will save "the poor and wretched of Kegar."
Thousands of miles away, dark-haired, gold-skinned prince Quil is the reluctant heir to the Martial throne. The 20-year-old has been trained to fight by the "greatest warrior in the Empire." When the palace is destroyed in an unexpected Kegari attack, Quil is sent on a mission to retrieve a mysterious weapon that will save the Empire.
Twenty-year-old, "blue-black hair and brown"-skinned Sirsha Westering comes from a line of powerful magic-wielders, the Jaduna. Her magic lies in tracking and binding the magic of others, but she's been banished by the Jaduna and forbidden to use her powers on pain of death. When the royal palace is attacked, Sirsha's path, her mission, and her heart collide with Quil.
This first electrifying book in a duology occurs 20 years after the events of the final An Ember in the Ashes book. In Heir, Tahir's three narrators take turns driving the story, their compelling tales merging into one serendipitous, exhilarating return to a beloved world. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author