I am thoroughly impressed by how this series keeps unveiling itself. Before I jump into my review I just want to note that I didn’t absolutely love Throne of Glass. I liked it, it was okay, it’s almost a Cinderella Story retelling if Cinderella were an assassin on survivor. If you haven’t started this series yet my extreme recommendation is read the series in this order.
The Assassins Blade (Throne of Glass 0.1-0.5) - I read these all separately and gave them all 4-5 stars these were written after Throne of Glass so the writing is better than ToG
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass 1) – Be patient this was her debut novel and SJM’s writing gets so much better. Still a good story overall. I rated it 3 stars
Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass 2) – I loved this one I rated it 4.5 Stars.
Now onto Heir of Fire (HoF): Possible minor spoilers for ToG and CoM
Again the writing and depth of story is even better as we become more engrossed in this world. The majority of the story revolves around three different groups of people in different locations during the story.
Celeana in Wendlyn: - Celeana left for Wendlyn at the end of CoM, when we catch up with her she is literally a shell of the woman she was in Adarlan. Finally stopping for a moment to reflect she is devastated by the events in CoM and the loss of Nehemia. It has all taken a toll and our heroine is lost, depressed and very dirty. All of her hope of finding Maeve (Queen of the Fae) to give her some insight into her fae heritage, the keys and power seems lost, that is until Rowan shows up.
Celaena is so much darker in this. She is barely holding onto a reason to live and fight and has lost that spark she once had. Rowan is determined to train her in magic and see what she might be capable of
“I don’t think you particularly want to see how angry and vicious and awful I am underneath.”
“Go ahead and be as nasty as you want, Princess, because I’ve been ten times as nasty, for ten times longer than you’ve been alive.”
She didn’t let it out—no, because he didn’t truly understand a thing about what lurked under her skin and ran claws down her insides.
The time spent with Rowan encompasses a slow building friendship that Celaena has never had before. Rowan doesn’t coddle her and pushes her to extremes to be able to learn how to use her Fae gifts. She doesn’t become all powerful in her gift overnight it takes a lot of time. A respect slowly builds between them as they both see how alike they are in their pains. Both have lost love and made terrible bargains with their lives. But perhaps they can help each other and maybe become friends along the way.
“You don’t bite the women of other males.”
She heard, more than felt, something die from her voice as she said, “We’re not—together. Not anymore. I let him go before I came here.”
He looked over his shoulder. “Why?” Flat, bored. But still, slightly curious.
What did she care if he knew? She’d curled her hand into a fist in her lap, her knuckles white. Every time she glanced at the ring, rubbed it, caught it gleaming, it punched a hole right through her. She should take the damn thing off. But she knew she wouldn’t, if only because that near-constant agony felt deserved. “Because he’s safer if he’s as repulsed by me as you are."
Most of Celaena’s part in the story is coming to terms with her destiny and who she really is. You can change your name but that doesn’t mean it won’t find you again. She is desperately holding onto the idea that she can escape that name and the burden of rule that comes with it.
“Because if I free Eyllwe and destroy the king as Celaena, I can go anywhere after that. The crown … my crown is just another set of shackles.”
While I wanted my kick ass assassin back a little sooner than I got her in this I was glad that her journey wasn’t rushed. She has been through a lot since her time in the mines as a slave and so I believed every step she took to becoming the person she will need to be to take back the realm and destroy the King of Adarlan.
Chaol, Dorian and Aedion in Adarlan - Chaol gave up everything to get Celaena to safety, he made a bargain with his father and the king. But that was before he figured out who she truly was and now he has to come to terms with who the woman he loves is and he also has to pick a side. But it is a hard thing to come to terms with a woman who is a Queen.
“He'd known, since the moment he figured out who she was, that while Celaena would always pick him, Aelin would not.”
Chaol was determined to stay out of any war and protect Dorian who he hoped would be King sooner rather than later. Their friendship has been stretched very thin with all the secrets they are keeping from each other. Chaol it seems just wants to stick his head in the sand about Dorian’s magic.
“You cannot pick and choose what parts of her to love.” He pitied Chaol, he realized. His heart hurt for his friend, for all that Chaol had surely been realizing these past few months. “Just as you cannot pick which parts of me you accept.”
The two men also find allies in unlikely places and are looking for a way to counteract the king but there seem to be obstacles around every corner. Aedion is Queen Aelin’s /Celaena’s cousin. He adds a whole new insight into what is really going on in Tarrasen and whose side he is on.
This plot arc was intense and the culmination of it was heart-wrenching. Everyone lost something and the fate of these three is very precarious indeed. I was biting my nails at the end wondering what other horrors they might have to face.
Manon Blackbeak of the Thirteen and Abraxos: I’m not sure what I make of her and I’m pretty sure that she is currently on team evil, BUT……SHE IS A WITCH THAT RIDES DRAGONS…okay wyverns but still that is awesome.
He moved to sniff some white-and-yellow flowers. A nightmare. This was a nightmare. “You can’t really like flowers.” Again those dark eyes shifted to her. Blinked once. I most certainly do, he seemed to say. She splayed her arms. “You never even smelled a flower until yesterday. What’s wrong with the meat now?” He needed to eat tons and tons of meat to put on the muscle he was lacking. Then he went back to sniffing the flowers rather delicately.
Abraxos is a survivor but it seems that he is only deadly when there is need and the rest of the time he is like Felix the Bull happy to sniff flowers in the meadow. Abraxos makes Manon likable as they become a team there is perhaps a hint of something redeemable in Manon that might come out later.
I really enjoyed this plot line in the story. Manon is not supposed to have a heart and she is pretty despicable at times but I totally love her character. Besides being next in line to take over her coven she is under a great amount of pressure to lead the witch army who has been given Wyverns to fly by the King of Adarlan to use in his upcoming war.
The interactions between the covens of witches along with their history add another layer of depth to the story and I’m really hoping that Celaena doesn’t have to fight them all because they seem very formidable.
There is even more crazy black magic happening. If the black rings that seem to control others minds aren’t enough there are now black collars that seem to bring something demonic and dark to live inside their victim’s. Something Dark is roaming the land and killing Half-Fae creatures. Every new monster revealed is worse than the last and Celaena will meet at least one new threat. Armies are being formed and begin to march toward their targets and there is one large battle in this book.
More of Celaena’s past as Aelin is revealed and answers to her origins and why her family was killed come to light. There were a few moments that squeezed my heart so much it hurt when all of the horrors of her past and the guilt she carried came to light. I dare you not to shed a tear.
HoF was more a character development book. Celaena learning about herself and coming to terms with all aspects of herself. Dorian finally deciding what kind of man he wants to be and if he will live in the shadow of his father forever. Chaol finally coming to terms with change and deciding if he is going to pick a side and what that side will be. Also the new characters Aedion, Rowan and Manon solidify their presence in the story and leave a lot of room for what will happen in the near future.
I was left again at the end of this at the edge of my seat and wanting the next book to jump into right away but again I’ll wait another year to get there. I have so many theories and desires. My only complaint is that Celaena and Chaol were apart this entire book. Yes it needed to happen but I don’t like it…I’m firmly team Chaol and while I have suspicions and theories on this it definitely isn’t clear if they will ever find a way back to one another but I still hold out the strongest hopes on this.
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Popular Highlights in this book
So she left Rowan in the hall. But it did not stop her from wishing she could keep him.Highlighted by 10,185 Kindle readers- She had lied to him. She had wanted to save lives, yes. But she had gone out there with no intention of saving her own.Highlighted by 8,982 Kindle readers
- No longer would they be locked away in her heart. No longer would she be ashamed.Highlighted by 7,321 Kindle readers
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4.5-stars: 'Heir of Fire' by Sarah J. Maas
Heir of Fire is the third novel in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. This book picks up where Crown of Midnight left off at, so if you haven’t read up to that book in the series, then I would recommend not reading this review. I try not to spoil, but I always warn just in case.Storyline/My Thoughts: Celaena has survived a brutal contest that the King put on in the first book. She has survived a betrayal that broke her heart in the second book. She is now on a mission to Wendlyn to find out the truth about herself and find out more about the Wyrdkeys. In the meantime, though, the place she just left is having its own troubles. Chaol has found out the truth about Celaena and who she really is and will team up with some people he never thought he would help. Dorian has to find a way to hide his abilities and ends up getting help from one of the healers. There are a few new POVs also in this book that readers will find fascinating. There’s a witch named Manon Blackbeak, who is not someone you want to mess with at all. She and her team of witches have a mission to tame flying beasts that the King has created for them. There’s also a Fae Prince who has a blood oath to Celaena’s Aunt Maeve, and his name is Rowan Whitethorn. Maeve has tasked him to train Celaena in her Fae powers before Maeve gives out any truths about Celaena and the Wyrdkeys. Another POV Aedion is a General to the King, but he’s also Celaena’s cousin. He is one character I was hesitant of liking at first because he’s working for the King, but then things fall in place why he is where he is, and he finds out that his true Queen is alive and well.This book will make Celaena realize that she can’t hide from her past once and for all that she needs to embrace her future. She needs to win against the evil forces that are brewing that the King has on his side, and she also has to battle her Aunt Maeve. She first has to get through Rowan, who is not nice at all to Celaena. He’s a complicated character to like at first. I know it took me a while to like his character. He was harsh, but the truth of what happened to him in his past came out, and now I knew why he acted the way he did, and it is heartbreaking. Celaena is starting to grow more in this book because she’s finding out the truth about her past and what is happening. At the end of this book is what kept me on the edge of my seat. Sarah J. Maas will have everything crumble back in Rifthold with Chaol, Dorian, Aedion, etc. Celaena will not be happy, but she’s ready for anything now that she knows the truth.I love Celaena’s character because she has grown so much since the novellas and the first book. She’s been a fighter, and now she’s becoming a Queen. She wants to fight for her people and her country.This series from Sarah J. Maas is one I can’t get enough of because of the world-building and the character development. Each character is growing, and some are realizing they are on the wrong side. I’m a little wary of Manon’s character, but I know she will grow on me, too. I remember when I read this book the first time, I didn’t like her at much.Overall, this book receives 4.5 stars from me, and I can’t wait to re-read the next book.Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Throne of Glass series. I highly recommend reading this series in order.Cliffhanger: Yes.Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you are a fan of Young Adult Fantasy with the Chosen One trope, you may enjoy this book. There is no romance in this book, but a lot of action-packed scenes and truths being revealed.
Top reviews from other countries
Rayane Barbosa
A capa com grande referência
Reviewed in Brazil on April 22, 2023
Rayane Barbosa
Reviewed in Brazil on April 22, 2023
livro é um paperback como qualquer outro, não é soft touch (glória a deus) e o mapa de dentro pisa no da edição brasileira.
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