Sabaa Tahir
YA Fantasy
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.
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
(3 / 5) The lives of an orphan, an outcast and a prince intertwine on a journey. While one is running for his safety, another is searching for a killer and the other is searching for answers.
This story starts 20 years after the ending of the Ember in the Ashes series. I love that series but I don’t feel it is necessary to read before reading this. A predator is killing children and the individual journeys of Aiv, Sirsha and Quil give us multiple angles which presents a compelling story. They are easy to like and root for.
Sadly, this one missed the mark for me. I started out reading the e-book but became so confused with the POV’s that I didn’t finish. Then PRH Audio had the audio so I decided to listen from the start and see what I missed. Even with paying extra attention, the story didn’t flow like I expected. Instead of loving the villain in this story (my usual) I was disgusted with this person and hated any scenes they were in. It was not only dark but a bit disturbing. What should have been an evil intrigue, fell flat to hate and lack of interest. So props to Tahir for exceeding my expectations on the villain, but, it still wasn’t enough for me. There was a big reveal that explained everything towards the end but I was already too lost. I’d say I’m in the minority with this review so definitely check out what others have said about this story.
AUDIO REVIEW: I love a good full cast for such in-depth stories. Each narrator did well and sounded as I believe the characters should. It was well done!
General content summary:
Intimacy (referenced with no details few times, 1x closed door scene, 2x mostly “open door” scene with foreplay)
Deaths (previous fire, multiple bodies of adults and children found “split open” with hearts burned and removed, falls from large height, multiple stabbings with details and blood, family members, horse and child killed by magic and body torn apart, a heart turned to ash, a leader orders many people’s deaths, magic used to kill then behead a man, torture and death of young teens with few details)
Physical violence (fights, weapons, killing, some details, multiple, man stabbing himself to not get caught, battle attack)
Torture (blood, injuries, multiple, some detail)
Battle (bombs, death, injuries, some detail)
Alcohol (drunkenness)
Prostitution (multiple)
**Any quotes that have been taken for the review is based on an uncorrected text as the advanced copy and may or may not be in the final, published copy.
Thank you to Penguin Teen, PRH Audio and NetGalley for the copy!
The book releases October 1, 2024.
**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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