Heir

Gr 9 Up–In the same world as the best-selling “Ember in the Ashes” quartet, three characters embark on journeys that bring them together in surprising ways. Aiz, an orphan, wants her people to have enough food to eat without having to rely on their magic-powered flying machines to raid other villages. She goes in search of a spiritual leader to help her people rise up against the current rulers. Sirsha is a tracker who has been given her most lucrative assignment yet; she accepts, not understanding the extent of the entity she is tracking. But she swore an oath and is bound to see it through. Quil, reluctant heir to the throne of the Martial Empire, seeks a resource to help his people fight against an invading force. Meanwhile, a serial killer rips out the hearts of victims across the Empire and must be stopped. All characters, both lead and supporting, explode from the page with a fullness that displays both their strengths and their flaws in equal measure. The complex, brutal world presents questions of leadership, spirituality, and morality. Characters explore these and other hard questions with varying shades of gray answers as they seek to make sense of the world and their role in it. Nonstop action, tight pacing, and surprises from start to finish take readers on a thrill ride that will leave them breathless and eager for the next book in the duology. Reading the “Ember” quartet first is recommended.