Heir of Fire: Throne of Glass, Book 3

Steph and Dani @ A Walk on Words

This Book is Character Development

"Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas Steph's Rating: 5 stars Overall Rating: 5 stars Steph's Review: *the review itself is for the most part non-spoiler, but the area for my predictions is packed with spoilers for Heir of Fire* What better way to get back into blogging than with a book that also ended with a bang? I think I've read Heir of Fire three or four times over the one month period that it's been out--in other words, I've just been reading some sort of page from this pretty much every day. Still not over it either. The pretty hardcover is still sitting on my nightstand even though I've got other selections I'm reading. The books in this series release pretty far apart from each other so this obsession is really not good seeing as I've got at least another eleven months to go before book four rolls around. Celaena has been cast away from Adarlan for her own safety by none other than Chaol Westfall. She's ignoring her duty to the King while she's slumming it in the streets of Wendlyn. She is approached by a menacing Fae warrior, who leads her on orders to the her aunt, and Fae Queen, Maeve. Celaena knows Maeve knows the information that she dearly needs to accomplish solving the mystery of Adarlan's seemingly overnight triumph, but Maeve is withholding that knowledge with a series of conditions. She is sent back to the peaceful demi-Fae town of Mystward, to master her heritage and the magic that has quietly dwelled within her for over ten years. If she proves successful and rediscovers her conscience, she may become the biggest living threat that Adarlan has ever seen. If she fails...everything is over for Terrasen. Now, I've read tons of reviews for this one. Many people give it five start but then go onto say that it wasn't their favorite book in the series since Crown of Midnight is still their absolute fave. I too, and giving it those five big, obnoxious stars but Heir of Fire is my favorite book within this series so far. I love Crown of Midnight, I do, but I still felt like Crown of Midnight is a "thriller" book of sorts. It's a roller coaster that is exciting and something you'll always remember (at least for me), but once it's over, it's over. Heir of Fire is a much deeper book because of its fantastic character development. In fact, I think this entire book is pretty much dedicated into recreating Celaena's character that will define her for the rest of the series. Heir of Fire is an intermission of sorts, but at the same time also the bridge that is going to connect two vastly differing parts of this series--and I love the new Celaena. HoF also is just a big staging book; its triple POV/triple setting sets up lots of great subplots that will definitely become major contributions to the rest of the story. There's a lot of mystery shrouding the whole series, but I'd like to think some of that is made known to us with this novel. Along with Celaena's character development, Maas gives us a lot of flashbacks to Celaena's childhood that tell us why Celaena is how she is. The background is a heartbreaking tale and I have to take back every bad thing I said about Celaena--her arrogance, brattiness, and selfishness--that I said about her when I wrote my first thoughts on Throne of Glass. Troubling times are ahead for her, but as long as she stays on the course that she's paved anew, she is going to reach the goal she seeks. While there is a large focus on Celaena herself, Maas also starts brewing trouble in places Celaena is not even in. Chaol begins to question everything he's ever been trained to know about Adarlan--and also wonders if he's going to follow through with the deal he made with his father to return to his homeland and become the Lord of Anielle whilst giving up his honorable position as Captain of the Guard. Dorian is wondering how much more of his father's dictatorship and oppression he can take, especially when he has two secrets that are imperative to keep hidden from him. Either one of them could ruin him and earn him exile at the least-- and at worst, he'll be digging his own grave if either one is found out. I feel like with every book, Sarah J Maas improves her writing to be ever more meticulous than the preceding installment. Her craft is expanding, and I love absolutely everything about it. Can't wait for the next book and also, her new series, A Court of Thorns and Roses! From Here on Out, There WILL be spoilers for Heir of Fire. These are my predictions for the book 4 that I wrote a while back after my first round of reading. Read at your own risk! ****************** My thoughts and predictions based on what happened in Heir of Fire: If somehow you didn't get the message earlier, there will be some spoilers from here on out for HoF!!! 1. Manon Blackbeak. I enjoyed reading her POV. This girl is a badass, and she needs to show all the other witchies who's boss. She was such an underdog at the start of the book I feel like (because she chose the "injured" wyvern), but in the end she showed them she was better than everyone else. So my prediction for her: I think she will clash with Celaena at first, (somehow I feel like it might actually be in book 5, I'll get to the why for that later) but begin to understand that the King is just using them, and who knows, might not actually keep his end of the bargain. If Celaena continues to represent the freedom she is so far, I think Manon and her crew will eventually side with her for the big showdown. 2. Chaol: I'm sorry, I am no longer on board the ship Chaolaena (rd to #4 as to why :D). I think after Chaol's errr falling out with the King, he will find Celaena and reconcile what happened between them in CoM. I also think Chaol isn't going to be as supportive of the growing Terrasen uprising as we want him to be, since he is still from Adarlan, but in the very least he isn't going to be fighting for the king. As said in the book, he'll fight for Dorian (who I hope will eventually side with Celaena) 3. Dorian. No. NO NO NO NO NO NO. I'm terrified that Dorian might end up dead, now that he's got that stinking collar around his neck. Since Celaena had to kill the Valg princes (and those collars STILL weren't broken even then)…I just have a bad feeling. But IF everything goes well and Celaena and Chaol can save Dorian from his father's clutches, I know Dorian will be on Celaena's side. 4. Rowan Whitethorn My fave new character. I really wish he and Celaena didn't separate at the end of HoF, after all Rowan said that Mala thinks they make a good pair. I totally ship Rowan + Celaena now….but I also feel like this isn't ever going to happen. Maas made it clear several times in the book that Celaena / Rowan only felt platonic love for each other and only have the urge to protect each other because they have the carranam bond. Plus, Rowan's already lost his mate and it's also been said that mating bonds go beyond death. A girl can still hope though ;) As long as this book has MORE ROWAN, I'm satisfied. I wonder if we are still going to have a little bit of his POV, seeing as the duo is separated now. Now for less explanation predictions: 5. I think Celaena is going to return to Rifthold to find Arobynn at the Assassin's Keep and demand for the Amulet of Orynth, which he probably refuses to give her. He probably won't be surprised that she shows up, and probably already knows her heritage at that. I doubt that he knows about the Wyrdkeys though. I hope she kills him, and doesn't fall for any of his sweet talk. --This is the 'why' for Manon's prediction. If more of the book is going to focus on Celaena's return to Rifthold, I can't see Manon and crew attacking her yet. Maybe at the end of the book, or in book 5? 6. Maeve is going to come back to haunt Celaena. Maybe not in the next book, but when the "revolution" gets bigger, I feel like Celaena is going to be on the verge of victory to have her plans foiled by that Fae Queen. 7. Do I smell and Celaena/Ansel alliance coming? --On that note in general, maybe the Silent Assassins from the prequels? 8. Please let them save Aedion (or have Aedion break himself out). I feel like if Aedion dies, all of the character development in HoF might crash into bits and pieces. I need to see a reunion between these two. 9. I think the King might find out about Celaena/Aelin in the next book, but as much as I want to see him dead, I don't think he will be AT LEAST until the end of book 5 at the soonest. I'll update with more predictions as I think of them, and I also feel like these are my predictions for the overall rest of the series instead of solely book 4 :) --Steph @ A Walk on Words ["

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October 22, 2014 Verified Purchase

DragonCeres

Slow at places, but worth it for the ending!

"I had some reservations about this book after reading some reviews. It seems to be a slow book with nothing much happening. When I started reading, I can see what others mean. Celaena is a shadow of herself at the beginning of this book. Still feeling guilty over what happened to Nehemia, and Chaol's role in it, she wastes her days away in Wendlyn. I didn't like Celaena very much at first, or throughout most of the book, because this book is mainly about her growth, and her accepting her heritage, accepting who she is meant to be, and it took a long long time to Celaena to do that, all the while I wanted to just hit and shake her and tell her to get over herself. The book follows several other characters other than Celaena. There's Manon Blackbeak, who is an Ironteeth witch. I didn't care much about her characters and not sure why the author spent so much time in her POV. From the way Manon's story progressed, she could either in a formidable foe for Celaena in the future, or somehow find that she has a "heart" and somehow join Celaena. Either way, that's for future books to decide. In this book her POV is a drag and didn't contribute to a book, even if it contributes to the overall series. We also have POV from Dorian and Chaol in Rifthold. These are my favorite chapters in the book. The changes in Dorian since the story started has been phenomenal and he's ready to be a great king, a king to mend the world that his father destroyed. Chaol is still the faithful and noble captain we know, but who is conflicted between his loyalty to his country, and his wishes to save Celaena and Dorian from the king. This book is also about Chaol making a choice between his loyalty and what is right. We meet a new character, Aedion, who is Celaena's cousin in the old days, before their world fell apart, and is now working for the King as the general of the North. I loved Aedion's character and his loyalty to Celaena. There's a lot of plotting going on in this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I can't wait to see what happens when Aedion finally meets Celaena. Although, knowing the author, it'll probably take another two books and then there'll be tons of misunderstandings, because both Celaena and Aedion have done things they think that the others won't forgive. On Celaena's side of the story, there's Rowan. Oh my god, I honestly did not like Rowan. He was a pompous jackass, but I liked seeing him push Celaena. Like I said, Celaena needed a good butt kicking to get her out of her hole and Rowan was the perfect Fae to do it. As a Fae immortal prince and entrusted with the job to train Celaena until he decided that Celaena is ready to go to the Fae city of Doranelle to face Maeve, Celaena's aunt, he took none of Celaena's crap. I loved watching their antagonistic relationship slowly turning into trust and friendship as they slowly got to know each other. The entire process took forever, but the bond that emerged between Celaena and Rowan is unbreakable. The book is almost 600 hundred pages long, and it could definitely have been shorter, but the ending was worth the wait. A lot of things happened that will change the course of this series. I don't want to say anything to give it away. However, seeing as this series is probably 6 to 7 books long, I wonder what the author has in store for us. I hope the rest of the books don't drag on as long as this one. I can see the necessity of this book in the series, in order to Celaena to accept who she is, but I don't know if I can stand another "character growth" book like this one again. ["

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September 14, 2014 Verified Purchase

L.J.

Heir of Fire Indeed!

"What I would give for the rest of the series to be out already. I cannot get enough of this enthralling tale created by Sarah J Maas. I loved the first book. I had wondered if the second would be as good or fall prey to the second book slump that so many do. It did not. I got better. Then I wondered if it really could get better each time or if the third would be slump. Folks, I am here to tell you this book is not a slump. It is the mighty vault into a whole new arena of splendid storytelling. Maas really is getting better with each book in this series. This one in particular was nuanced and could have been the crash to the bottom that Celaena's soul took. Somehow, in the midst of a very sorrowful point in this multi-book story, it was captivating. ***Spoilers from here on out*** Celaena, our favorite assassin, is at her lowest as she contemplates all she has unwillingly lost and willingly let slip through her fingers. I honestly wondered numerous times if Maas had dealt with depression before because the way she wrote Celaena's depression was disturbingly accurate. The depth of her character growth is unparalleled. There are obviously better writers out there and far more complex fantasy narratives but the character of Celaena is one of my all-time favorites. Maas proves why Calaena deserves that spot in this third novel. I love a redemption story, a phoenix rising from the ashes if you will, anyy day of the week. Heir of Fire was that with so much depth and heart. It was just so good. The novel's pacing is slow in the first third and starts to pick up until it's the fast paced, revelation-dropping action we came to know in the first two novels. I don't think it's less of a good read for it though. If anything, it made it richer as we went through the tough places the characters where going through. Sorcha was alright as a character. I liked her and Dorian together though and wished that ending had been different. Chaol was right when he said the kingdom could use a healer as a Queen. Aedion is a very interesting character. His loyalty to Aelin is endearing. His ability to play the submissive king's general is impressive. I really can't wait to see if he survives past the next book and joins Rowan in Aelin's court. Can you imagine those two in her court protecting her and fighting alongside her? Some surprises for me where how much I loved Manon's story and Abraxos. She was intriguing right of the bat and I really started rooting for her when she chose Abraxos. I fell in love with her as she started realizing she cared for Abraxos and even started to gain things like honor and compassion. Who know I would root for a Blackbeak witch. I'm really interested to see where her story goes. Another surprise was my complete boredom with Chaol. I remember loving him in the first two books and really rooting for him over Dorian. I like Dorian better as Calaena's friend/equal (as they are both heirs to their kingdoms) than as a lover. However, in this book, Chaol really lost if for me. I still appreciated him. I liked that he was becoming unlikely friends with Aedion. I really loved how he was helping Calaena and Dorian from afar and chose them even when he didn't know where his alliances lied in terms of king and country. But man, I just got bored with him. It took him long enough to finally stand up for what was right and go against the king. *********Major plot spoilers********** Another surprise was my near crying. I found myself tearing up towards the end. It was mostly the huge revelation of Calaena's past, what really happened, and how heartbroken she was. I think what really got me was seeing how dearly loved she was by hear parents only for her to lose them and her own sense of self in one fell swoop. I also teared up when little Aelin said "Get up" and all those who had loved her echoed the same phrase. Calaena/Aelin had been through so much. She had so much self-loathing and thought they hated her for all her dark deeds. That scene was just beautiful as she saw the truth and started fighting again. I got so much joy from seeing Calaena claim who she is. When she stood up against Maeve, whoa buddy! I wanted her to kick Maeve's butt for what she did to Rowan and how she tried to control Calaena. But when she made that power play against Maeve, Aelin was just the queen we'd been waiting for, a queen who would not bow even to one of the fiercest queens around. "It would not take a monster to destroy a monster-but light, light to drive out darkness." "She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one." I have noticed numerous reviews on here noting, mostly disliking, the lack of romance and more sorrowful plot points. Maybe they should go back to reading lesser quality series like Twilight if they just want a juicy love triangle because this series is about so much more. Do I appreciate the romance in the first two novels? Of course! Would I love to see Calaena dive back into the romance pool in the upcoming books? Heck yes! However, this series is not just a romance series. It is a daring epic tale of this assassin who turns out to be so much more and must claw her way back to being who she was born to be. It is a tale of coming together to fight for the good left in the world even when you've been to its darkest depths. I'm glad this novel didn't have the romance of the first two. It wouldn't have fit where Calaena was in her story. Her connection with Rowan, while at times I did wish for more, was healing and challenging all at once. I liked that even if something does become more romantic between the two of them later, it didn't happen in this book. "I claim you Aelin, to whatever end." Let's not forget Chaol. I loved him in the first two but where he was in this book was just annoying. Again, this was great for making a character three dimensional instead of just the rugged hero archetype. At this point though I would say I don't want him to be with Calaena, not with who she is becoming as Aelin. This is random, and I don't know if anyone else felt this way, because most people seem to love Rowan and I'm right there with them. However, for some reason I kept wondering if a triangle/square would happen with Aedion at some point in the future. It was just those throw away remarks from both Aedion and Calaena/Aelin about how close they were and how in the past people thought they would be a great couple politically. Things that happened in this book started as throw away comments in the first and second so I really wonder about that. I wouldn't be opposed. I felt a shift in my heart from the Dorian/Chaol love triangle to a potential Rowan/Aedion love triangle. This seems to have come from our main character's shift from Calaena to Aelin. I really am going to hate this waiting. Some part of me wishes I hadn't read these novels till the whole series was out. That would have been the sane choice. Then again, I wouldn't have wanted to miss this series for anything. ["

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September 6, 2014 Verified Purchase

Lynn

Easily the best book of the series so far

"Where do I even begin with this review? I have SO many thoughts. Like sooo 😵 Ok, well start at the beginning. So I read the first 2 books back in 2021 but never finished the series. I was really enjoying it before then so I don’t know WHY it’s taken me this long to get back to it. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Needless to say I needed a refresher of those 2 books before I could continue on with the other books in the series. I enjoyed my re-read of them, and loved them even more the 2nd time around 😁 So I promptly dove into this book, my first fresh book in the series. And wow 😳 This book just packs so much into these pages! I was astounded at what all this one book encompasses for a thrilling read as well as setting up so much potential for the following books! To say this book was gripping is a severe understatement. Rowan and Celaena’s storyline was by far my favorite. And it was the most dramatic. I love Rowan so much 😍 I mean, who doesn’t love a hot, broody male fae?? 🥵🔥Now I have to say that I have been basically spoiled for all the couples in this series due to all the glorious artwork out there on Insta, so I am a bit puzzled by this book where certain people are concerned, but have high hopes for the future books 👀 But seriously, these two together are the best reading material! Their initial grumpy interactions are hilarious, then their friendship and mutual support for all the trauma and stuff they’ve gone through in their lives🥹 It just hits you right in the feels Manon, my glorious savage witch ⚔️ I loved her from the very first page of her introduction. How could I not? I hope for so much for her 🖤🖤 I don’t trust her granny though after how things ended with her PoV 👀 And I’m so curious about this potentially softer, more merciful side of Manon. I’m SO curious to see how things play out for her and the Thirteen (whom I also love!). And Abraxos, you adorable flower loving sweetie 🥰 I was definitely shocked when I met him since he…uh, doesn’t look quite like that in the artwork I’ve seen online of him & Manon 🤫 Very curious to see how that comes about… Dorian. I’m sorry to all his supporters out there, but I’ve never been a fan of him from my previous reading of books 1 & 2. He just screams spoiled Prince who always gets all the ladies and has a fit when he doesn’t get this one girl 🤦🏻‍♀️ On my re-read of those 2 books though I didn’t mind him so much. But in this one he went right back to annoying me lol. I always groaned when it went back to his POV because it was so dull and whiny. He was all butthurt with Chaol for things even though some of those things were kept from him to keep him safe, the ungrateful brat🙄 But Chaol had his own stupid moments too lol. Anyway, Dorian’s pov in this didn’t offer much other than another fling, blah blah blah. Until that ending 🤯 Omg!!! He’s now redeemed himself in my heart, and now I MUST know that he’s ok!! 🙉 Chaol. Why are you so twitchy and mistrustful of magic wielders??? You magic-phobe idiot. He makes no sense with this, other than omg magic is outlawed whatever. BUT he was alive before magic disappeared so I’m sure he came across people in that time who had it and didn’t harm him. So why he’s so twitchy about it with the people he’s close to… derp. But omg I loved his pov chapters and everything he’s up to…with…people 👀🤐 The way things end with his pov too has me dying for more. Obvs I’m probably going to be diving straight into Queen of Shadows soon. I just have so many things that I just MUST find out 😱 I do hope we see more of Rowan’s “kitty cat friend” as Celaena calls him 🐈 I think he could be very interesting to have around 🦁 ["

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November 5, 2024 Verified Purchase

Amazon Customer

EPIC!

"EPIC! This is Sarah J. Maas's best book yet! It's also tied for my number one all time favorite reads of 2014. Oh the feels I have for this book. This book deserves 10 stars! Sarah's writing is highly addicting, and incredibly enticing. Everything I had hoped would happen in this book, and then some, happened. I have loved this series since Throne of Glass. Each book has gotten better and better, but this book takes the cake. Everything I've loved about this series is present in this book. The characters, the world building, the action, romance, plot twists, and the way each of the relationships is developed are all masterfully done. Magic, Fae, Shifters, and more. Heir of Fire introducers readers to a whole new kingdom, with some unforgettable characters. Magic, Fae and more make up this kingdom. Celaena will stop at nothing in her quest for answers and to reclaim a crown that is rightfully hers. Nothing about her quest will be easy. If you thought she had already been through hell and back up to this point, you've not seen anything yet. Celaena has no idea what she's in store for until it's too late. Celaena's journey in learning and claiming her true destiny is one that breaks her, literally. It's during this time that I swear I about emotionally broke for her. It's been awhile since I got teary eyed over a character, but I did with Celaena, thanks to Rowan. Everything that Celaena has been through and dwelt with up to this point in the series does not compare to what Celaena has to learn to over come, accept, and lose in this book. One of those is learning to use and control the magic she's worked so hard to hide. Through all this, she comes out stronger and more determined than ever. I loved how much she grew as a character and how bad a she was. I claim Rowan as mine! I have a new favorite character in this series, and it's Rowan. I loved how Rowan's character was introduced into this series, and the way his character developed. All the emotions that Celaena felt towards him I felt. Rowan is a fierce Warrior and tied to Celaena is a surprising way. I'm leaving this review spoiler free, so you'll have to read it to find out why they're tied together. There's"

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December 29, 2014 Verified Purchase