62 pages • 2-hour read
Heir
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Themes
The Corrupting Influence of Power
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child death, graphic violence, and death.
Heir depicts power, both magical and political, as being easily corrupted by ambition, fear, and desperation. Quil is particularly aware of this fact, as he has to contend with the legacy of his father, Marcus Farrar, one of the most despised emperors in Martial history. He fears inheriting this legacy and becoming another corrupt ruler. He notes, “He’d read enough history to know that power corrupted” (44). While Quil is aware of the dangers, other characters fall into the trap. Aiz, in particular, is the clearest embodiment of this theme.
At first, Aiz wants to save her people from starvation and displacement. To convince Aiz to begin the mission that forms the backbone of her narrative, Mother Div tells her, “Corruption eats at the heart of our land. It grows most virulently among those who rule our people” (95). She deliberately calls out the corruption already existing in Kegar’s leadership. The Triarchy are complacent, and Tiral plans to falsely claim the mantle of the Tel llessi to consolidate power. Her words reinforce the idea that those in positions of authority are often driven not by service but by ambition—ironically, this is exactly the form of corruption she aims to cultivate in Aiz. Aiz listens and decides to act, driven by righteous anger and a desire to free her homeland. However, before long, Aiz finds herself increasingly tempted by the darker aspects of power and becomes the very thing she began the story fighting against.
Mother Div’s voice is a constant presence in Aiz’s mind, and Aiz sees her as a holy guide, but in reality, she embodies the corrupting influence of power. She urges Aiz to make increasingly immoral decisions in service of power. Under Div’s influence, Aiz manipulates Tribe Saif, particularly Quil and Ruh. Aiz’s initial desire to help her people transforms into a willingness to exploit others for knowledge and resources. Once she gets full access to her powers, Aiz’s reliance on Mother Div only grows. When Cero and Noa finally confront her about the slaughter of children to fuel Mother Div’s power, Aiz responds: “Mother Div honors the children by choosing them as sacrifices […] Do not diminish their martyrdom simply because you do not understand” (416). Aiz, who once sought to protect the Kegari, now participates in the deaths of their most vulnerable, convinced that the end justifies the means.
In the end, her choice to pursue power regardless of the cost does, in fact, nearly cost her everything. Sister Noa, once a surrogate mother figure and one of the main people Aiz was supposedly fighting to protect, outright condemns her actions. While Cero stays with Aiz, he does take action to allow Quil and Sirsha to sever her ties to Mother Div in an attempt to save her. When the plan works, and she is separated from Mother Div, Aiz is forced to reflect on the cost of her pursuit of power: “She thought of Ruh, shrieking as he died. Of Mother Div’s silken promises. She thought of the hunger that had gnawed at her for months, and the void within her now that it was gone. She remembered Sister Noa’s warning. You are lost” (482).
Aiz’s downfall is a cautionary tale about the perils of ambition and dependency. Power, when left unchecked, has the potential to be disastrous. It demands responsibility and self-awareness. Those who wield it must constantly grapple with its moral implications, lest they, like Aiz, lose themselves in the pursuit of victory.
The Danger and Necessity of Trust
In Heir, trust is often a double-edged sword—necessary for survival but perilous when misplaced. It’s a fragile construct that the characters must continuously negotiate. Sirsha is distrustful by nature, but she still chooses to place her trust in Kade, who betrays her. His betrayal is particularly devastating because of its personal nature, as Sirsha considered him a friend, and he was also hinted to be her former lover. Quil is also betrayed by someone he cares about, although the betrayal is shown from the perspective of Aiz, the person who betrays him.
Even before beginning to work with Mother Div, Aiz uses betrayal and manipulation to get what she wants. For example, she seduced Tiral to later attempt to assassinate him. He is a morally corrupt person who harms others for his own gain, and Aiz’s actions here show that manipulation and betrayal can be used for just ends. When Aiz reaches Tribe Saif, she continues to rely on these methods, with Mother Div’s guidance. She employs charm and calculated displays of vulnerability to gain the tribe’s trust. Sabaa Tahir uses free-indirect style—third-person narration from the character’s perspective—to show that Aiz does this intentionally: “Aiz needed friends here. Anchors. People to help her make sense of this place—preferably without demanding too much of her in return” (207). She could have built genuine connections with the people she met, but she prioritized her mission instead.
As the story continues, Mother Div exploits Aiz’s talent for manipulation and betrayal, and Aiz becomes the kind of tyrant she initially set out to defeat. Aiz’s relationships with others deteriorate due to her increasing reliance on Div. Her oldest friend, Cero, and her surrogate mother figure, Sister Noa, confront her about the atrocities she commits. Aiz dismisses their concerns, viewing their defiance as a personal betrayal. In truth, Aiz betrays their trust, as she prioritizes her alliance with Div over the loyalty of those who genuinely care for her. Mother Div symbolizes and embodies Aiz’s worst traits—her thirst for power and her willingness to manipulate and betray others in service of what she sees as a higher purpose. Ironically, she also exploits Aiz’s trust in the same way that Aiz exploits the trust of others.
Amidst the numerous betrayals, Tahir offers moments where trust emerges in unexpected places to serve as a lifeline for the characters. Despite the betrayals they suffered in their past and their reluctance to open up in the present, trust is at the core of Quil and Sirsha’s relationship. As she tells him when discussing their oath coins, “the etchings on the coin grow intricate as the Adah learn to trust each other” (223). While they are physically attracted to one another, it is through their slow willingness to be vulnerable with each other that they build their bond. In the end, when Sirsha chooses to sacrifice herself to stop Mother Div, she reflects on the nature of love:
Love was pain. Love was hurt and betrayal. But it was also the reason she stood here, battling a creature of ancient and unrelenting hunger, instead of on a ship a few hundred miles away. Love was why for the first time since her family cast her out, Sirsha didn’t feel alone (74).
For the characters, to love is to open oneself up to the possibility of being hurt and to do so anyway. Ultimately, the novel suggests that while betrayal can lead to devastation, trust, when carefully built or rebuilt, offers the possibility of redemption and renewal. Yet, as seen through Aiz’s tragic descent, not all betrayals are forgivable, and the cost of broken trust can be irrevocable.
Perpetuating and Breaking the Cycle of Violence
Through the characters’ experiences, Tahir explores how historical conflicts, systemic oppression, and personal loss can create cycles of vengeance that perpetuate suffering. However, she also shows moments where characters challenge this pattern, creating opportunities for healing and change. This tension between continuation and disruption of violence forms the emotional and moral crux of the story, reflecting Tahir’s commentary on agency, responsibility, and the cost of breaking free from trauma.
Quil’s role as the heir to the Empire is suffused with the burden of his lineage, particularly the violent and destructive legacy left by his father. Quil’s fear of becoming like his father is emblematic of the anxiety surrounding the perpetuation of violence within both family and societal structures. In Chapter 5, Quil asks his mother’s statue, “Is this my fate, then, Mother? […] To take the throne? To never be free of it? […] What if I end up exactly like him?” (44) While he recognizes the danger of repeating past mistakes, he feels trapped by the obligations of duty.
Aiz’s story offers a different lens on inherited violence, focusing on systemic oppression and the way it manifests in marginalized communities. As a Snipe, Aiz has grown up in an environment where violence is both a tool of survival and a constant threat. Tahir emphasizes that systemic violence perpetuates itself by instilling fear and submission, making resistance seem futile. Aiz’s motivation to kill Tiral stems from her anger over the murder of orphans in the past. Aiz nearly succumbs to despair in the Hollows, but Mother Div urges her to transform her anger into action. She tells Aiz, “Despair is death. Crush it. Stoke your rage instead. Escape. Kill the pretender” (96). The message reinforces the idea that when properly channeled, anger can be a tool for breaking free from oppression. However, it also raises questions about whether Aiz’s mission is perpetuating the same cycle of violence she seeks to end—as proves to be the case when Aiz loses herself more and more to violence that she deems necessary, even when that violence is against the innocent.
While individual characters deal with the perpetuation of violence, Heir also critiques the larger systems that trap them in this cycle. Loli Temba explains the Kegari’s need to raid because “Their population is starving […] They cannot grow grain or raise livestock. So, they suffer” (278). Aiz also justifies her brutal campaign by highlighting the Kegari’s long-standing suffering: “There are hundreds of thousands of Kegari, but there used to be millions” (401). Systemic neglect can breed violence, which then becomes self-reinforcing as victims of violence seek revenge.
While much of Heir illustrates the perpetuation of violence, Tahir also presents pathways to breaking the cycle, primarily through sacrifice and acts of love. Sirsha’s character arc is the most significant example of this redemptive possibility. Her willingness to sacrifice herself to bind Div demonstrates how selflessness and love can counteract violence.
While Aiz succumbs to her guilt and anger and allows it to drive her further into darkness, Sirsha transforms hers into a force for good. Ultimately, the novel suggests that breaking the cycle of violence requires confronting past traumas, acknowledging guilt, and making sacrifices rooted in love rather than hatred. By doing so, the possibility of personal and collective healing becomes attainable.
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