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Children's & YAYA FictionYA

This is the Year

Review by Tami Orendain

This is the year Julieta Villarreal will figure out how to escape from the climate disasters threatening her home, the broken friendships she’d rather leave behind, and the grief of losing her twin sister. So when the Cometa Initiative, a private space program, invites New American students to join a space mission, Juli sees a perfect way to restart her life. 

Gloria Muñoz’s This Is the Year is a story about transitions. Perhaps the biggest change for Juli is the loss of her twin, Ofe, in a hit-and-run accident, a loss that lingers over the story. Driven by Juli’s first-person narration—some of which is directly addressed to Ofe—and excerpts of her prose poetry, This Is the Year takes a creative approach to storytelling that allows readers to observe the shift in Juli’s emotions, thoughts and opinions as a teenager growing up. Finishing her senior year of high school means facing the very people, disasters and feelings she’s so afraid of, but when she does, Juli finds that maybe there are things at home worth holding on to.

The rest of the world in this book is also in transition—and it’s less than idyllic. Juli and the other characters must come to terms with the consequences of climate change and heightened socioeconomic inequality, especially as humanity looks to space as the new frontier. There is speculative local and global chaos in this book, yet the world also feels hauntingly familiar—perhaps a warning of what may be to come. However, while This Is the Year is unflinching in its portrayals of natural, social and economic disasters, it is also careful to demonstrate that healing is possible, whether it be in community, through individual effort or even within one’s own self.

Ultimately, This Is the Year is a story of hope, not destruction. Juli’s story asks readers to take an honest look at the world around them and ask: Where is my true place? What does it mean to keep dreaming here? And, as Juli must decide: How do we keep moving even when things don’t go according to plan?

 

While This Is the Year is unflinching in its portrayals of natural, social and economic disasters, it is also careful to demonstrate how healing is possible.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

Kaya of the Ocean

Review by Linda M. Castellitto

Thirteen-year-old Kaya Song has long been excellent at compartmentalizing whenever something feels strange or scary: “I forced myself to shove the whole mess to the corner of my mind, where so much of my pain was boxed up and stored for another day.” 

It works, to some extent. The tween’s life in Lihiwai, Maui, is in many ways idyllic. She has caring friends; earns excellent grades; indulges in favorite pastimes like reading and drinking boba; and gets to work with friendly, cute Taiyo when she helps out at her parents’ Chinese restaurant.

Nonetheless, in debut author Gloria L. Huang’s fantastical, heartfelt coming-of-age tale Kaya of the Ocean, Kaya’s “anxiety [is] so severe that my skin was raw and red from washing and scratching, that my mind was always filled with worries and my heart filled with dread.” 

Fear of water is central to Kaya’s anxiety, exacerbated by the fact that Maui is, well, an island, and Kaya’s friends are avid surfers. As Kaya of the Ocean opens, they’ve convinced her to join them at a secret cove. She and Taiyo stick to “baby waves,” but a giant yellowfin tuna knocks Taiyo off his surfboard and Kaya must rescue him. Less traumatizing, but no less weird is when, at home, the water in a drinking glass seems to move toward her. What is going on?

Fortunately, Kaya’s aunt is visiting from New York City and may have answers. She’s researched their family history, which includes an ancient Chinese water goddess named Mazu. Could Kaya’s anxiety and water-based goings-on be something else altogether? 

Huang employs vivid flashbacks (to China in 1629 and 1949, and San Francisco in 1876) plus a cascade of present-day revelations as she unfurls the surprising truth about Kaya’s connection to Mazu. “I couldn’t help feeling optimistic that things could change. That I could change,” Kaya muses. Her gradual willingness to talk about her feelings, trust herself and believe she deserves the support she needs will resonate with readers on their own journey to self-confidence, magic-infused or otherwise.

In Gloria L. Huang’s fantastical, heartfelt coming-of-age tale Kaya of the Ocean, the protagonist’s gradual willingness to trust herself will resonate with readers on their own journey to self-confidence, magic-infused or otherwise.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

For She Is Wrath

Review by Tami Orendain

Dania is in prison for a murder she did not commit. She spends every day plotting her escape and listing off the people responsible for her imprisonment: Vahid, the cruel emperor; Darbaran, the loathsome head of the palace guards; and Mazin, Vahid’s ward and Dania’s ex-lover. After a failed attempt to break out, Dania is surprised when Noor, a fellow prisoner, tunnels into her cell. When Noor reveals that she has a plan to escape, as well as a way to access hidden djinn magic, Dania sees a clear way to get her revenge.

A fantasy-fuelled retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, For She Is Wrath takes the tension and mystery of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel and transfers it to a lush, exuberant, Pakistan-inspired setting. Emily Varga’s narrative drops readers straight into the action from the very beginning: A prison escape, dark magic power and secret identities set up heart-pounding action that remains present throughout the entire tale.

But For She Is Wrath is not just about getting revenge. It’s also about how shaky the path to it can be. Dania’s growing desire for retribution is a force that not only drives her forward, but also compels her to look backward. As they work together to achieve revenge, Dania and Noor must come to terms with the price of vengeance—and decide whether that price is worth it. The book is not shy about the impact of Dania and Noor’s actions, asking them to sit with the repercussions of their schemes. Is violence ever warranted? Is it all right to harm others in the pursuit of justice?

This is a fresh story with bold heroines and a unique, vibrant setting. For She Is Wrath has the intrigue of The Count of Monte Cristo, but is ultimately sweeter, with wholesome characters and nuanced themes about justice, healing, and forgiveness. Readers, especially fans of Dumas, are sure to appreciate Varga’s multilayered twists and turns as Dania and Noor uncover world-altering truths about their imprisonments, their backgrounds and the empire in which they live, and learn what it is they truly stand for.

A fantasy-fuelled retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo, For She Is Wrath takes the tension and mystery of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel and transfers it to a lush, exuberant, Pakistan-inspired setting.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

Everything is Poison

Review by Nicole Brinkley

Carmela Tofana wants more than anything to join the women at La Tofana’s, an apothecary run by her mother Giulia in 17th-century Rome. On her 16th birthday, she’s finally allowed in the door, first as front-of-house help, sweeping the floors and greeting customers, then eventually earning the ability to work with the recipes and herbs themselves. It is not always pretty work, but it is important work, and Carmela loves it.

But when a woman comes in asking for her mother’s secret and powerful poison, Aqua Tofana, Carmela realizes quickly how dangerous their line of work can be. If the poison ends up in the wrong hands, Carmela’s whole world could come crumbling down. But when the women in her community need help, Giulia Tofana steps up—and Carmela is determined to do the same, no matter who calls her a witch.

Blood Water Paint author Joy McCullough returns with another historical young adult novel that blends prose and poetry, as Everything Is Poison imagines the life of the daughter of famous real-life poisoner Giulia Tofana. Chapters in prose following Carmela’s life alternate with short about the lives of people around Carmela: abusive husbands and struggling wives, lonely children and pained adults.

McCullough’s focus rests on relationships conventionally overlooked in history: those among found families, female friends, and groups of women shoved to the outskirts of society. The desperation and determination of all these women in Everything Is Poison draw from rich historical detail while creating obvious parallels to modern struggles. “That is the daily work we are here for. Giving women a choice over what happens in their bodies,” remarks Giulia to her daughter, and that fierce and quiet theme permeates the story.

Readers who enjoy historical fiction focused on the power of community will find much to love in Everything Is Poison. Fans of Ruta Sepetys and Stacey Lee should pick up this fiery, unflinching novel.

The desperation and determination of the women in Everything Is Poison draw from rich historical detail while creating obvious parallels to modern struggles.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

What the Woods Took

Review by Nicole Brinkley

When Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to two men abducting her from her bedroom, she’s prepared for a fight. However,there’s no escaping the henchmen of the wilderness therapy program her foster family is forcing her to attend. Along with four other teens, she’s dropped off in middle-of-nowhere Idaho, where two camp counselors will march them through the woods for 50 days so the teens can better themselves. It’s a strange place, where the air is “quiet in a way she’s never felt, uninterrupted by the puttering of old engines and the distant crash of machinery.”

But more aggravating than the hiking or the quiet or the counselors is Sheridan, a lavender-haired mean girl who mocks the other kids and slows the whole group down. But Sheridan, at least, is human: When their counselors go missing, Devin starts seeing visions of creatures with strange faces. The five teens will need to work together if they’re going to survive what horrors lurk in the woods and emerge with their identities still their own.

Inspired by real horrific wilderness programs, Where Echoes Die author Courtney Gould’s What the Woods Took grapples with horrors inflicted by both people and literal monsters. 

Devin’s strength and determination to “reap the good she suffered for” is certain to enchant. But if Devin isn’t a reader’s favorite character, they will be sure to find another: All five teenagers are complicated and real, and Gould’s excellent dialogue and lifelike banter make the whole group engrossing. 

Those who love their horror with a hint of romance will be rewarded: Devin and Sheridan’s slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance is messy yet truthful, giving growth and a strong human connection even as monsters descend. When the two finally get on the same page, readers might even cheer.

Atmospheric with genuine scares, What the Woods Took examines how teenagers can go through the worst and still choose to trust, over and over again. This excellent addition to the roster of queer YA horror will please fans of Rory Power and Mindy McGinnis.

An atmospheric thriller with genuine scares, What the Woods Took examines how teenagers can go through the worst and still choose to trust, over and over again.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

Visitations

Review by Tami Orendain

Corey Egbert grew up believing his mother wanted the best for him and his sister, Sarah. After suspecting their father of molesting Sarah, she divorced him immediately and moved their family to Lehi, a small town in Utah with Mormon roots. There, Corey dutifully attends seminary and protects his sister, while his mother urges him not to speak to his father, even during visitations. 

In his new home, Corey encounters a variety of responses to his Mormon faith, from people who ridicule him, to those who are themselves devout followers. As a preteen in a school where other students are openly curious about sex, smoking and other taboos, Corey comes across thoughts and ideas beyond his sheltered upbringing. It’s hard not to sympathize: Corey is a young boy who wants new friends, is curious about romance and isn’t exactly sure how faith works. 

At the beginning of the story, Corey is anchored by his unwavering trust in his mother. When his father reveals during one visitation that Corey’s maternal grandmother—whose letters Corey’s mother has been throwing away for years—has died, Corey struggles with understanding the loss, while his mother begins to further isolate the children. Is Corey’s mother faithfully protective, or is she oppressive and self-righteous? Is his father wrongfully accused of crimes he didn’t commit, or is he a deceitful predator? As Corey learns more about his family and compares their beliefs with his own expanding worldview, he must ultimately decide what he believes himself. 

Visitations is a haunting, complex memoir about religion, mental illness and broken families, told through the eyes of a young boy as he sorts through what’s true and what isn’t—a task that’s incredibly difficult for a child. The book’s illustrations are beautifully simple, highlighting the vastness and complexity of the questions the story asks readers to consider. How do we know who to trust? Why do bad things happen? And what does it really mean to do the right thing?

Visitations is a haunting, complex memoir about religion, mental illness and broken families, told through the eyes of a young boy.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

Thief of the Heights

Review by Emily Koch

Imagine a future in which no one ever sees the sky, and water is so toxic that even a drop can cause an infection deadly enough to require an amputation. Basam, Mustafa and Aarfah, three teenage engineers, live at the bottom of Muqadas, a city that is vertically stacked on top of itself and surrounded by water that causes an infection called Habar. Life improves the higher up one lives in Muqadas, so the trio is trying to finish their invention of an advanced prosthetic limb, which they hope will grant them opportunities to ascend to the upper tiers of the city. 

When they succeed, they are given the chance to move up a tier with their families. But not long after, they start to notice the inequities and injustices of their society, and part of the group begins to question their dreams of leaving their home. Will they hold their resolve to get to the top together, and try from there to make a difference for the lower levels?

Though Thief of the Heights is her first book geared toward young adults, Son M. is well-versed in gripping narratives, having previously written for Dark Horse and DC Comics, among others. Her storytelling is excellent,  seamlessly weaving elements of Algerian and Islamic culture into this dynamic world.

Debut illustrator Robin Yao brings M.’s worldbuilding to life through their vibrant and dynamic artwork. All the characters are compellingly and uniquely designed. Emotions are easily discerned, with intense moments illustrated in monochrome shades that match the severity of the mood. Foreshadowing is sprinkled throughout the narrative and illustrations in equal measure.

While throwing a reader into a dystopian world with little context is a compelling narrative device, it may leave the reader with a simple desire for more: More time with each trio member, more time for exploring the relationships between them, and more insight into what this world will look like past the book’s last page. The ending is abrupt, but that may be the point, suggesting that it is up to us to imagine the future beyond.

Still, Thief of the Heights is extraordinary: a suspenseful, emotional sci-fi fantasy graphic novel.

Thief of the Heights is extraordinary: a suspenseful, emotional sci-fi fantasy graphic novel.
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9 new books to read for Native American Heritage Month

List by the editors of BookPage
STARRED REVIEW
November 4, 2024

9 new books to read for Native American Heritage Month

Celebrate some of the best Native authors writing today with these absorbing titles.
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Book jacket image for The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich

The Mighty Red

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Celebrate some of the best Native authors writing today with these absorbing titles.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

Sacha Lamb weaves Jewish folklore into a murder mystery

Behind the Book by Sacha Lamb

My first novel, When Angels Left the Old Country, takes a historical story that’s familiar to many Americans—immigration through Ellis Island around the turn of the 20th century—and casts it as a fairy tale inspired by Jewish folklore. I knew I couldn’t repeat the same setting for my next work. A second book is always challenging, and there was a lot of pressure in following a debut that received six(!) awards and honors. For a fresh start I chose a story that still draws on Jewish folklore and history, but was constrained within a single invented town, at a less familiar moment in history.

The Forbidden Book is a supernatural murder mystery set in the 1870s, before the great wave of migration that began circa 1880 out of the Pale of Settlement, the region where Jews were allowed permanent residency under the restrictions of the Russian Empire. At this time Jewish books were highly censored, but there was a growing political consciousness, and a growing desire for education among Jewish women. The communities of Eastern Europe were subject to a whirlwind of forces on the sides of both tradition and change. I researched the period using historical works such as Michael Stanislawski’s Murder in Lemberg, which explores the attempted poisoning of a Reform rabbi by another Jew in the mid-1800s. Working within this setting allowed me to emphasize Jewish agency with a story whose actors are nearly all Jewish, and are all acting in the interests of their community—but are in conflict about what those interests are.

The Forbidden Book is also a dybbuk story. The dybbuk is usually described as the spirit of a deceased person that can possess the living and speak through them. As in the case of S. An-sky’s 1920 play The Dybbuk (perhaps the most famous work of Yiddish theater), traditional dybbuk stories have a gendered aspect. Many of them describe young women possessed by male spirits, sometimes male Torah scholars, which allowed young women constrained by patriarchy to access male authority while speaking in the voice of the possessor. My protagonist, Sorel, is a young girl who escapes her unwanted marriage under a male identity, only to discover the name she’s using belongs to a real boy—and using his name has plunged her into the midst of a complex web of intrigues.

Sorel and her dybbuk, Isser, have to work together to solve the mystery of his death and prevent a supernatural calamity. At the same time, each is negotiating their relationship with Kalman Senderovitch (who is Sorel’s father and Isser’s father figure), and Isser helps Sorel learn what she truly wants from her life. The personal narrative, augmented by spooky encounters with Angels of Death and sinister black dogs, is intended to help draw my teen audience through the story of censorship, feminism and social activism. I hope that the universal themes of friendship, family and self-expression will introduce readers to a new chapter in history and a very human view of the Jewish past.

Set in the Pale of Settlement, The Forbidden Book is a dybbuk story that explores gender and censorship towards the end of the 19th century.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

Sabaa Tahir takes readers back into the fire

Interview by Yi Jiang

Sabaa Tahir’s Heir kicks off a duology taking place 20 years after the events of her bestselling An Ember in the Ashes series. Heir follows Aiz, a lowborn orphan seeking vengeance; Sirsha, an exiled tracker who takes on a dangerous job; and Quil, the reluctant heir to the throne who faces a threat to his empire. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, all three cross paths as they grapple with a mysterious force committing horrific crimes throughout the land.

What led you to revisit the world of An Ember in the Ashes? Did anything in particular spark the creation of this new duology?

It was really working on the last book of the Ember quartet, A Sky Beyond the Storm, that had me asking questions about one character in particular: the future Emperor. That’s how Heir began, back in 2020. By that point, I’d spent 13 years in the Ember world and planned everything for the characters of the first series. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I didn’t know everything about this world, nor did I know everything about my characters. It made for a very unexpected writing experience!

“I want the conflicts and conversations and victories and heartbreaks and emotions, most of all, to feel real and believable.”

Heir can be read as a standalone, so readers new to the AEITA world won’t have a problem keeping up. But returning fans will be delighted by some callbacks to the original series: What are you most excited for them to encounter in this book?  

I’m excited for all the little Easter eggs I’ve left in the book for them, but I don’t want to spoil the book by giving them away! I’m also very excited for them to meet this new generation of characters, who have their own journeys and stories to share.

What was it like to weave together the complex storylines of Aiz, Sirsha and Quil? 

Complicated. I knew how I wanted them to intersect, but without giving anything away, I’ll say that Aiz’s storyline in particular posed a challenge. I ended up planning a lot of scenes out on notecards, laying them all over the floor and then figuring out how they all fit together visually. It felt a bit like knowing the picture I wanted and having half the puzzle pieces. I had to move them around to see exactly where they belonged and then fashion the rest of the pieces to fit the empty spots.

Which was your favorite character to write?

They each had their own appeal. Aiz was the most challenging to write—I think I learned the most from her. Quil was the most challenging to edit—he ended up needing a lot of time because he was hard to get to know, at first. Once I did get to know him, though, it felt as if a whole world had opened up. Sirsha was just a joy to write. I feel like she walked into my brain fully formed.

Read our starred review of Heir. 

What was it like to continue the legacies of beloved characters from the main series, 20 years later? 

It was so much fun, but also very thought-provoking. Laia, Elias and Helene are characters who have been through a great deal of trauma. How would that impact the way they transition into adulthood and ultimately parenthood? Figuring out the answer to that question was arduous and took many drafts. I also had to focus on letting Quil, Aiz and Sirsha shine in this story. It is in the Ember world, but it is certainly not an Ember book. Finding a balance between the past and present was tricky.

What’s your secret to bringing compelling romance into your fast-paced, thrilling plots? 

Well, romance is the ultimate wrench in the machine, is it not? In my books, my characters are already going through a tough time and then . . . they fall in love!  Their minds go places they tell them not to, their bodies misbehave. They don’t want to fall in love because it is deeply inconvenient, and yet . . . it has happened. It’s a challenging plot twist, it raises the stakes and it is such fun to write something so hopeful in the midst of all the drama. I think finding that joy, (as well as the longing and frustration along the way, of course) is what I focus on when writing romance into my fantasy!

You don’t pull any punches with your stories, especially in Heir—and your fans keep coming back for more. What do you think is the key to winning fans’ hearts with these emotional rollercoasters? 

I wish I knew because I feel like that would make writing much easier! Ultimately, I strive for authenticity. I want my books to feel true, even if they take place in fantasy worlds. I want the conflicts and conversations and victories and heartbreaks and emotions, most of all, to feel real and believable.

Your conflicts, despite taking place in a fantasy world, feel close to reality—for example, characters born into vast inequality are faced with difficult choices in their quests to break free. Is this aspect of your writing inspired by anything specific in real life?

So much of my writing is inspired by historical and current global events. I was an editor of foreign news [at The Washington Post]  after graduating college, years ago now, so I will always carry that interest in global affairs and history with me. The influences range from news stories about refugees, famines and aerial bombardments, to the poetry and literature that arise from the disenfranchisement of entire populations, occupations and those surviving despotic governments.

But ultimately, at the heart of everything I write is the question: Why do we treat each other this way? I think I ask that question because as a writer for young people, I wish to convey the hope that we can be better. And I think that being better, and seeing each other with empathy, begins with asking ourselves this question.

Are there parts of the AEITA world you still want to explore? 

Yes, so many. Entire countries and continents and epochs I haven’t gotten to. I think the stories in this world really are endless. It’s just a matter of if I go hunting for them or not!

 

Heir, the spinoff to Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes series, throws a new generation of characters into a world of chaos and danger.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

The Thirteenth Child

Review by Jena Groshek

Erin A. Craig, bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows, takes readers on a journey through self-discovery and moral conflict in The Thirteenth Child. Hazel Trépas, the unwanted thirteenth child of a “foolish huntsman” and his “very pretty wife,” was promised to the Dreaded End—the god of Death—before she was even born. Years later, when Death comes to call on his beloved goddaughter, Hazel’s livelihood and aspirations change in a matter of hours. She is told she will become such a renowned healer that even kings will ask for her by name. Along with this new destiny comes a gift: the ability to foresee the cure to a patient’s ailment through simply cupping their cheek. 

Armed with this extraordinary power, Hazel begins healing the sick and wounded of her town, feeling a glorious new sense of purpose that she hadn’t been able to find in the shadow of her toxic family. However, she learns that this gift comes at times with a ghastly cost: When a patient cannot be cured, a deathshead in the shape of a grinning skull appears, signifying that they have been claimed by Death. With no other option, she must end their suffering for good. 

This poses an impossible dilemma for Hazel. When the deathshead appears, how will she balance her moral duty to heal with the will of her powerful, uncompromising godfather? Haunted by the lives she’s taken, Hazel reaches the hardest decision she has yet to face in her time as a healer when the deathshead appears over none other than the king himself. Does she follow the command of her godfather to avoid his wrath? But if she kills the king, won’t the resulting political turmoil lead to  far more death? No matter what she decides, Hazel will never be the same again after this choice

The Thirteenth Child encapsulates the reader in their own moral dissection of right and wrong, leading them to ponder whether the betterment of one may also lead to the betterment of others in this scenario.Craig is a master at developing her characters, giving them real-world obstacles to work through while adding a hint of magic to keep readers on their toes. The Thirteenth Child makes it difficult to predict where Hazel’s conflicting senses of responsibility and duty will lead her, and readers are sure to be drawn into their own internal debate about the incomprehensible burden of this gift that seems so beautiful on the surface.

Erin A. Craig is a master at developing her characters, giving them real-world obstacles to work through while adding a hint of magic to keep readers on their toes.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

The Forbidden Book

Review by Tami Orendain

Seventeen-year-old Sorel’s arranged marriage is meant to unify two powerful Jewish families in her community in the Russian Empire’s Pale of Settlement. But when 17-year-old Sorel hears a voice in her head urging her to run on the eve of her wedding, she doesn’t think twice. Determined to leave her old life behind, she jumps from her bedroom window and disguises herself as a young man, taking the name Isser Jacobs. However, as she tries to flee the city, she is recognized—not as Sorel, but as an actual boy named Isser Jacobs, who apparently has many enemies. To leave for good, she must figure out how to separate herself from his identity without getting caught by the many people hunting her down.

Steeped in Jewish folklore and culture, The Forbidden Book is a fantastic tale with resonant political themes. Based on mythology concerning the dybbuk, a disembodied spirit that inhabits the body of a living person, this novel flows between the supernatural and the concrete in order to ask powerful questions about identity and beliefs. From the very beginning, The Forbidden Book blurs the line between fantasy and reality: Is the voice in Sorel’s head real? If so, whose voice is it, and why is she the only one who can hear it? From there, the story becomes more and more surreal, taking readers on a wild ride through dreams and visions that seep into reality.

Author Sacha Lamb uses the magical aspects of the story to highlight and tackle serious cultural and political issues. Sorel doesn’t know much about the voice in her head, but it drives her to question her place, power and identity as the betrothed daughter of a wealthy merchant. The disappearance of the real Isser Jacobs is shrouded in mystery, but it seems connected to his passion for printing and distributing illegal political pamphlets about Jewish Emancipation. As Sorel and the other characters work out what’s real and what’s not, they also explore themes around community, government and freedom.

At the heart of this story is Sorel, who spends the majority of the book trying to establish herself as an individual. As she uncovers the lies and truths around her, she must question every facet of her identity, including her family, community, faith and gender. Sorel’s nuanced and complex coming-of-age shows how developing an identity takes time, thought and care. Through all its twists and turns, The Forbidden Book ultimately remains centered around hope and how it can be a powerful catalyst for change—both for an individual and a whole community.

Based on Jewish mythology concerning the dybbuk, a disembodied spirit that inhabits the body of a living person, The Forbidden Book is a fantastic coming-of-age tale with resonant political themes.
Children's & YAYA FictionYA

Heir

Review by Yi Jiang

Set two decades after the events of Sabaa Tahir’s blockbuster An Ember in the Ashes quartet, Heir entices readers back to a familiar landscape of the Martial Empire, just as Empress Helene plans to end her reign. Her nephew and successor, Quil, dreads his impending coronation, but a dire threat posed by the embittered nation of Kegar forces him to confront his duty to his people. Thrown into a perilous journey, he crosses paths with the exile Sirsha, who has sworn a magic oath to track down a mysterious child killer. In a riveting, large-scale narrative, Tahir weaves their storylines together with that of Aiz, an orphan from the Kegari slums, as she struggles against a cruel air squadron commander trying to assert control of her country. 

Writing a spinoff to any beloved series is risky, but National Book Award-winner Tahir (All My Rage) avoids getting lost in the mire of her past success by continuously offering readers something thrilling and new, while not losing sight of the original. As a result, Heir feels wholly generative. Each possessing distinct motivations, Aiz, Quil and Sirsha hold their own alongside previous fan favorites, who themselves have grown in organic yet revelatory ways.

Tahir’s characters grapple with the scars of past tragedies and rail against suffocating circumstances with nuance that will engage readers both new and returning to the series. Furthermore, evocative—but not overly intrusive—world-building allows Heir to be easily understood as a standalone novel. Kegar’s situation, as a country that is food-scarce and depends on raiding for resources, contributes depth to the novel’s core conflict, which goes beyond simplistic good and evil. How far can one go to save one’s people?  

“Ultimately, at the heart of everything I write is the question: Why do we treat each other this way?” Read our Q&A with Sabaa Tahir. 

Without losing momentum, Tahir brings this energetic book to a satisfying conclusion, while dropping enough cliffhangers to leave readers hungry for the sequel. Heir offers a welcome blend of mystique and weightiness—plus a dollop of romance—that will delight anyone seeking more complexity in young adult fantasy.  

 

Heir offers a welcome blend of mystique and weightiness—plus a dollop of romance—that will delight anyone seeking more complexity in young adult fantasy.

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