Heir by Sabaa Tahir (Paperback)

In the slums of Kegari, Aiz has lived with loss for as long as she can remember. A past stained with blood drives her hunger for revenge, yet her heart remains tied to her people and the suffering they endure. Her path changes when one reckless choice leads to imprisonment. Inside the walls built to break her, anger becomes fuel, and the spark of rebellion rises into flame.

Sirsha, once proud among her kin, carries exile like a scar. Her magic lets her track the living through breath and shadow, but it cannot guide her away from the ghosts that follow. With coin scarce and hope fading, she accepts a contract no one else will take: to hunt a child killer loose in the Martial Empire. Along her pursuit she meets someone who challenges her solitude, and desire begins to pull against duty. The truth behind her target forces her to question what justice means, and what price she is prepared to pay.

Quil, reluctant heir and son of a hated emperor, lives beneath the weight of legacy. Power has destroyed those before him, and he fears it will take him too. Yet a rising threat pushes him toward a choice he cannot delay. If he walks away, the Empire falls. If he takes the crown, he may lose himself. As war looms, these three lives twist together in a story of loyalty, ruin, love, and the sharp edge of ambition.