Cover of Heir

Heir

Sabaa Tahir

Heir Duology #1

young adult romance(18k)

A tracker, a vengeful girl from the slums, and a reluctant prince collide as a killer threatens an empire.

Content Warnings
violence/goredeath of loved onegrief

Description

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 hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she's willing to give up. QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, 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 interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives―and their hearts. Literally.

Books like this

Cover of Watch Me

Watch Me

Tahereh Mafi

young adult romanceShatter Me: The New Republic #1
(62k)

A rebel infiltrates the enemy stronghold — only to fall for the trained assassin ordered to kill him.

forbidden romanceforced proximitybadass heroine

9 tropes in common

Cover of The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5)

The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5)

Sarah J. Maas

young adult romanceThrone of Glass
(1.2M)

The world's deadliest assassin risks everything — including her heart — to escape her ruthless master.

forbidden romanceforced proximitybadass heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)

Holly Black

young adult romanceThe Folk of the Air #1
(1.8M)

A mortal girl stolen to the Faerie Court must outmanoeuvre the cruel prince she can't stop thinking about.

forbidden romancebadass heroinemorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of The Assassin and the Empire

The Assassin and the Empire

Sarah J. Maas

young adult romanceThrone of Glass #0.5
(64k)

Assassin Celaena and Sam risk one final mission to buy their freedom — but freedom has a devastating price.

forbidden romancebadass heroinemorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of Crier's War

Crier's War

Nina Varela

young adult romanceCrier's War #1
(54k)

A human servant sent to kill a lady of the ruling class finds herself falling for her target instead.

forbidden romancebadass heroinemorally grey heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Twin Crowns

Twin Crowns

Catherine Doyle

young adult romanceTwin Crowns #1
(35k)

Twin sisters separated at birth swap lives — one steals a throne, the other discovers a family she never knew.

forbidden romanceforced proximitybadass heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of These Violent Delights

These Violent Delights

Chloe Gong

young adult romanceThese Violent Delights #1
(171k)

Romeo & Juliet meets 1920s Shanghai: rival gang heirs and ex-lovers must unite to stop a monstrous plague.

forbidden romancebadass heroinemorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of A Stage Set for Villains

A Stage Set for Villains

Shannon J. Spann

young adult romance
(5k)

A cursed girl infiltrates a deadly competition to steal immortality — and strikes a bargain with its most dangerous perf

forbidden romancebadass heroinemorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of The Dark Wife

The Dark Wife

Sarah Diemer

young adult romance
(8k)

Persephone escapes Olympus and finds freedom — and love — with Hades, goddess of the underworld.

forbidden romancestrangers to loversbadass heroine

6 tropes in common

Cover of The Assassin and the Underworld

The Assassin and the Underworld

Sarah J. Maas

young adult romanceThrone of Glass #0.4
(63k)

Celaena Sardothien takes a mission to strike against slavery — and uncovers something far darker than she bargained for.

forbidden romancebadass heroinemorally grey heroine

5 tropes in common

Cover of Defy the Night

Defy the Night

Brigid Kemmerer

young adult romanceDefy the Night #1
(76k)

A rebel apothecary sneaks into the palace and finds the ruthless King's Justice is not what she expected.

forbidden romanceforced proximitystrangers to lovers

10 tropes in common

Cover of The Assassin and the Desert

The Assassin and the Desert

Sarah J. Maas

young adult romanceThrone of Glass #0.3
(67k)

Celaena Sardothien trains with the Silent Assassins of the Red Desert — if she survives long enough to learn anything.

forced proximitybadass heroinemorally grey heroine

5 tropes in common

Cover of To Kill a Kingdom

To Kill a Kingdom

Alexandra Christo

young adult romanceHundred Kingdoms #1
(210k)

A siren turned human must steal a prince's heart — but can she do it before he steals hers?

forbidden romanceforced proximitybadass heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Immortal Dark

Immortal Dark

Tigest Girma

young adult romanceImmortal Dark #1
(29k)

An orphaned heiress infiltrates a vampire university to find her sister — and the cruel vampire she suspects took her.

forbidden romanceforced proximitybadass heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of A Treachery of Swans

A Treachery of Swans

A.B. Poranek

young adult romance
(7k)

A thief impersonates a princess to steal a magic crown — and falls for the real princess instead.

forbidden romancebadass heroinemorally grey heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1)

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1)

Susan Ee

young adult romancePenryn & the End of Days #1
(199k)

A girl teams up with a fallen angel to rescue her sister in a world destroyed by the apocalypse.

forbidden romanceforced proximitystrangers to lovers

9 tropes in common

Cover of The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

Sarah J. Maas

young adult romanceThrone of Glass #0.1
(78k)

Feared assassin Celaena is sent to collect a pirate lord's debt — until she discovers it's paid in slaves.

forced proximitybadass heroinemorally grey heroine

5 tropes in common

Cover of The Assassin and the Healer

The Assassin and the Healer

Sarah J. Maas

young adult romanceThrone of Glass #0.2
(57k)

Celaena Sardothien pays the price for defiance on a dangerous journey through the Red Desert.

forced proximitybadass heroinemorally grey heroine

5 tropes in common

Cover of Lightlark

Lightlark

Alex Aster

young adult romanceLightlark #1
(347k)

A cursed ruler must lie, cheat, and betray her way through a deadly game — until love ruins everything.

forbidden romancebadass heroinemorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of Storm and Fury (The Harbinger, #1)

Storm and Fury (The Harbinger, #1)

Jennifer L. Armentrout

young adult romanceThe Harbinger #1
(72k)

A half-human girl hiding a deadly secret must trust the infuriating Warden warrior sent to protect her.

forbidden romanceforced proximitystrangers to lovers

9 tropes in common