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Throne of Glass #3
Heir of Fire
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2014)Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak-but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life-and her future-forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed?
576 pages, Hardcover
First published September 2, 2014
About the author
Sarah J. Maas
128 books451k followersSarah J. Maas is the #1 bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold millions of copies and are published in thirty-eight languages. She lives in New York City with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79,058 reviews
August 17, 2016
"Enemy. Lover.
Queen."
Heir of Fire is undoubtedly one of the best books I've ever read. It certainly will be my favorite book of the year. It is gloriously long and kept me occupied for an entire day (night hours included) making me crave to find out more, but also stop reading so that the book won't end just yet.
You think you know Celaena from reading the first two books, right? Oh, but you're so so wrong. In this book we see her more than broken, relentlessly blaming herself for the fates and deaths of her beloved ones. She takes down her every shield, leaving nothing behind to shed her emptiness threatening to shatter her from the inside out. I believe this was her turning point, the true crossroad in her life, making her see, accept and embrace all that pain, regret and self-loathing she carefully kept hidden inside her soul, etched into her dire and gruesome memories.
“You collect scars because you want proof that you are paying for whatever sins you've committed. And I know this because I've been doing the same damn thing for two hundred years. Tell me, do you think you will go to some blessed Afterworld, or do you expect a burning hell? You're hoping for hell--because how could you face them in the Afterworld?”
And gods, what memories and past. We are able to witness how she became Celaena Sardothien, how her life changed forever on that fateful night ten years ago. But by facing all that sorrow and darkness, she's making a stand. She's slowly becoming a queen, one more powerful and deadlier that you could ever imagine.
Her character development is phenomenal, because through her new experiences she is stronger, wiser and more determined. Her fierceness was awe-inspiring and I loved that she's still the same stubborn, snarky and brave young woman, maybe with her ego a little bruised. She's not proud of who she's become, abandoning her kingdom and not fighting for rebuilding it for the past ten years, but she's ready to throw herself into battle to win back her land. To say that she's badass would be an understatement.
Celaena makes the transition from assassin to queen with the help of Rowan, a Fae Prince and my favorite new addition to the series. Not that he is so eager to help, but in order to find answers about the Wyrdkeys and how to destroy them, she has to be worthy of entering Doranelle, the land where Queen Maeve awaits her to answer her questions. May I shout something? I LOVE ROWAN WHITETHORN. In the beginning, he's infuriatingly patient and stubborn, brooding and secretive. But when he opens up? And when he actually smiles?!? Laughs?? Scrap me off the floor cause I am hyperventilating.
“Gods, he was brilliant. Cunning and wicked and brilliant.
Even when he beat the hell out of her. Every. Damn. Day.”
He's an alpha-male in all his glory, with the kickass moves that would bring Celaena's to shame. He's scary and intense, protective and defying, caring, but lethal when it comes to his enemies. Rowan is the no-nonsense type and I was glad there is finally someone who doesn't put up with Celaena's bullshit. She throws a verbal punch? He throws one that will leave her with a black eye for the entire week. But they develop a friendship and something so important on the intimate level (not talking about romance) that it will warm your heart to realize that our girl finally has someone to fully rely on. No secrets, no barriers, no judging left between them. They would die for each other, kill for each other, fight for each other. And when they work together, as a pair, as a team, they're astounding and terrifying.
“I claim you, Rowan Whitethorn. I don't care what you say and how much you protest. I claim you as my friend.”
Dorian Havilliard is the same swoon-worthy, sentimental, humble (yet a bit arrogant as well) young prince. He will win your heart regardless of the "team" you're in, because in the end he stands up to his father in a glorious way that had me cheering for him. He is way more mature, weary of everyone and everything and you can see him becoming a true worthy king right before your eyes. A lot of heartbreak and despair was in store for him and I guarantee it will all leave you in a pile of overwhelming feels.
In addition to his wonderful character development, Dorian is moving on from Celaena. And I'm not sure I like who he's moving on with. Heck, I don't like that he's actually moving on. Makes the whole Dorian/Celaena shipping a bit harder. But truth be told now, as much as I was against his new lady Sorscha, I was glad he got a little happiness and support to fight his growing loneliness, worries and magic. And you want to know why? Because freaking Chaol Westfall pretty much abandoned his friend when he needed him the most.
Yeah, you read that right. Dedicated, loyal, selfless Chaol was so unable to make up his damn mind that I was uncounsciously pulling my hair. I was very much irritated with him until the very end when he came to his senses. In the aftermath of Crown of Midnight, his friendship with Dorian is left in shambles and things don't get prettier in this book. They grow estranged, but I'll give it to the captain that he has only the prince's safety and freedom in interest. But keeping secrets, judging, not being able to accept Celaena's and Dorian's powers -- all these things make me wonder if he has any shot left at our heroine's heart, because whereas Celaena would always pick him, Aelin would not.
“As for Celaena,” he said again, “ you do not have the right to wish she were not what she is. The only thing you have a right to do is decide whether you are her enemy or her friend.”
We meet awesome warrior Aedion Ashryver, Celaena's cousin and childhood best friend. He's all deadly smiles, muscles and wild behavior. Aedion is daring, clever and doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone but himself. Or so they say. But he's dead set on taking down the King of Adarlan from the inside. When he finds out Aelin is alive, he makes it clear that he would move mountains in order to see his true queen back in Terrasen. He's loyal, determined, skilled and I hope he reunites with Celaena sooner rather than later, because he is in a pretty bad place at the end of the book.
"A cry went up from the witches, save for the Thirteen—¬who stayed cool and quiet. They did not need to cheer, for they ¬were immortal and infinite and gloriously, wonderfully deadly.”
Another addition to the newbie characters is Manon Blackbeak, heir of the Blackbeak coven of the Ironteeth witches and leader of the Thirteen. The witches play a big role in the King's newest and darkest plans by being the riders of the wyverns he has created and Manon wants nothing more than to lead them into battle as Wing Leader. She wants to prove herself and although she is a bloodthirsty, wicked creature, I completely loved her. She's by no means a villain, just a different kind of heroine, firm and unyielding, with great ambition. Her encounters and silent dialogues with Abraxos cracked me up, because in that moments you could glimpse (besides the wyvern's total awesomeness) how Manon starts believing there's a chance she has a heart and soul and that her grandmother's rules might not be the best to follow.
“Witches didn't need blood to survive, but humans didn't need wine, either.”
The King of Adarlan is still the biggest bastard I've had the (dis)pleasure of reading. I loathe the guy with every fiber of my being. He is wicked to the core, manipulative and selfish to no end. No, not just selfish, but greedy. Greedy for everything and anything, exactly like a monster. And what he did at the end, to my poor baby Dorian, made me wish that once Celaena comes back -- because she will come back -- she won't kill him. Oh no, I want her to keep him locked in a basement, to visit him everyday and torture him until he breaks, only to do it all over again the next day, because killing him would be too much of a mercy for the deeds he has done.
The other secondary characters were very well developed: the Ironteeth witches, Ren Allsbrook, Emrys, Luca and Maeve -- they were a testimony to SJM's awesome writing skills. And I might add that for me the writing style was slightly different. Improved. Better. More realistic, if you wish. There was a certain ease with which she used words that enchanted you completely. Plus, the swearing. I don't mind it one bit, but am I the only one that noticed it appeared more often than in the first two books? Matured characters, matured world, matured language, I guess.
The atmosphere is darker and the pace is thrilling, allowing you to breath for a bit before another near-death encounter or epic battle starts. The world-building was another winner, as we were able to see Wendlyn, Doranelle, the Ferien Gap and Adarlan again. We learn about the past, we meet Queen Maeve (who's quite a manipulative bitch), we run from terrifying creatures and we accompany Celaena as she masters her powers.
There isn't so much romance in the air, besides Dorian's plotline, because it's the last thing in our character's mind. And honestly, I don't really know who Celaena is going to end up with. Chaol still has issues with her and Dorian is currently viewing her as his friend, but things could still drastically change since there are 3 more books. It seems that even Aedion, her cousin, might have a shot since he wouldn't deny anything his queen would ask of him. And then there's Rowan who I'm not sure will actually have a romantic involvement with Aelin, but it's worth hoping for -- they would be unstoppable.
“He would not apologize for today, or yesterday, or for any of it. And she would not ask him to, not now that she understood that in the weeks she had been looking at him it had been like gazing at a reflection. No wonder she had loathed him.”
In terms of plot, you could say it's action-driven, but I beg to differ: the character development plays a part as big as the twists and turns and fights. It sure keeps you at the edge of your seat, courtesy of Sarah J. Mass' amazing writing, and makes you shudder at some new evil creatures or at the violence, but I basically view Heir of Fire as Celaena's healing journey, one necessary to fully accept her legacy.
“So you’d save another land, but not yours. Why can’t your friend save her own kingdom?”
“Because she is dead!” She screamed the last word so loudly it burned in her throat. “Because she is dead, and I am left with my worthless life!”
The Throne of Glass series slowly becomes a younger version of Game of Thrones (with less deaths, but keep in mind that there are worse fates than death...) and I couldn't be happier. With the same complexity, a gut-wrenching intensity and an amazing world, Heir of Fire brings out the big guns: twists, emotional punches, tearjerkers and amazing characters, not to mention the wonderfully built world. It's definitely the best one from the series yet and a total game-changer, so don't be surprised if it will keep you enthralled from start to finish. Fantasy to its finest, a story with heroes and monsters, Fae and humans, life and death. Read it the second it hits shelves, cause you won't be disappointed (unless you're the type that can't stomach the idea of enduring another year for the next book and to whom I recommend waiting a bit longer, because there is one hell of a cliff-hanger).
If you're looking for anything ToG related then check out this Throne of Glass fansite.
ENJOY!<3
Queen."
Heir of Fire is undoubtedly one of the best books I've ever read. It certainly will be my favorite book of the year. It is gloriously long and kept me occupied for an entire day (night hours included) making me crave to find out more, but also stop reading so that the book won't end just yet.
You think you know Celaena from reading the first two books, right? Oh, but you're so so wrong. In this book we see her more than broken, relentlessly blaming herself for the fates and deaths of her beloved ones. She takes down her every shield, leaving nothing behind to shed her emptiness threatening to shatter her from the inside out. I believe this was her turning point, the true crossroad in her life, making her see, accept and embrace all that pain, regret and self-loathing she carefully kept hidden inside her soul, etched into her dire and gruesome memories.
“You collect scars because you want proof that you are paying for whatever sins you've committed. And I know this because I've been doing the same damn thing for two hundred years. Tell me, do you think you will go to some blessed Afterworld, or do you expect a burning hell? You're hoping for hell--because how could you face them in the Afterworld?”
And gods, what memories and past. We are able to witness how she became Celaena Sardothien, how her life changed forever on that fateful night ten years ago. But by facing all that sorrow and darkness, she's making a stand. She's slowly becoming a queen, one more powerful and deadlier that you could ever imagine.
Her character development is phenomenal, because through her new experiences she is stronger, wiser and more determined. Her fierceness was awe-inspiring and I loved that she's still the same stubborn, snarky and brave young woman, maybe with her ego a little bruised. She's not proud of who she's become, abandoning her kingdom and not fighting for rebuilding it for the past ten years, but she's ready to throw herself into battle to win back her land. To say that she's badass would be an understatement.
Celaena makes the transition from assassin to queen with the help of Rowan, a Fae Prince and my favorite new addition to the series. Not that he is so eager to help, but in order to find answers about the Wyrdkeys and how to destroy them, she has to be worthy of entering Doranelle, the land where Queen Maeve awaits her to answer her questions. May I shout something? I LOVE ROWAN WHITETHORN. In the beginning, he's infuriatingly patient and stubborn, brooding and secretive. But when he opens up? And when he actually smiles?!? Laughs?? Scrap me off the floor cause I am hyperventilating.
“Gods, he was brilliant. Cunning and wicked and brilliant.
Even when he beat the hell out of her. Every. Damn. Day.”
He's an alpha-male in all his glory, with the kickass moves that would bring Celaena's to shame. He's scary and intense, protective and defying, caring, but lethal when it comes to his enemies. Rowan is the no-nonsense type and I was glad there is finally someone who doesn't put up with Celaena's bullshit. She throws a verbal punch? He throws one that will leave her with a black eye for the entire week. But they develop a friendship and something so important on the intimate level (not talking about romance) that it will warm your heart to realize that our girl finally has someone to fully rely on. No secrets, no barriers, no judging left between them. They would die for each other, kill for each other, fight for each other. And when they work together, as a pair, as a team, they're astounding and terrifying.
“I claim you, Rowan Whitethorn. I don't care what you say and how much you protest. I claim you as my friend.”
Dorian Havilliard is the same swoon-worthy, sentimental, humble (yet a bit arrogant as well) young prince. He will win your heart regardless of the "team" you're in, because in the end he stands up to his father in a glorious way that had me cheering for him. He is way more mature, weary of everyone and everything and you can see him becoming a true worthy king right before your eyes. A lot of heartbreak and despair was in store for him and I guarantee it will all leave you in a pile of overwhelming feels.
In addition to his wonderful character development, Dorian is moving on from Celaena. And I'm not sure I like who he's moving on with. Heck, I don't like that he's actually moving on. Makes the whole Dorian/Celaena shipping a bit harder. But truth be told now, as much as I was against his new lady Sorscha, I was glad he got a little happiness and support to fight his growing loneliness, worries and magic. And you want to know why? Because freaking Chaol Westfall pretty much abandoned his friend when he needed him the most.
Yeah, you read that right. Dedicated, loyal, selfless Chaol was so unable to make up his damn mind that I was uncounsciously pulling my hair. I was very much irritated with him until the very end when he came to his senses. In the aftermath of Crown of Midnight, his friendship with Dorian is left in shambles and things don't get prettier in this book. They grow estranged, but I'll give it to the captain that he has only the prince's safety and freedom in interest. But keeping secrets, judging, not being able to accept Celaena's and Dorian's powers -- all these things make me wonder if he has any shot left at our heroine's heart, because whereas Celaena would always pick him, Aelin would not.
“As for Celaena,” he said again, “ you do not have the right to wish she were not what she is. The only thing you have a right to do is decide whether you are her enemy or her friend.”
We meet awesome warrior Aedion Ashryver, Celaena's cousin and childhood best friend. He's all deadly smiles, muscles and wild behavior. Aedion is daring, clever and doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone but himself. Or so they say. But he's dead set on taking down the King of Adarlan from the inside. When he finds out Aelin is alive, he makes it clear that he would move mountains in order to see his true queen back in Terrasen. He's loyal, determined, skilled and I hope he reunites with Celaena sooner rather than later, because he is in a pretty bad place at the end of the book.
"A cry went up from the witches, save for the Thirteen—¬who stayed cool and quiet. They did not need to cheer, for they ¬were immortal and infinite and gloriously, wonderfully deadly.”
Another addition to the newbie characters is Manon Blackbeak, heir of the Blackbeak coven of the Ironteeth witches and leader of the Thirteen. The witches play a big role in the King's newest and darkest plans by being the riders of the wyverns he has created and Manon wants nothing more than to lead them into battle as Wing Leader. She wants to prove herself and although she is a bloodthirsty, wicked creature, I completely loved her. She's by no means a villain, just a different kind of heroine, firm and unyielding, with great ambition. Her encounters and silent dialogues with Abraxos cracked me up, because in that moments you could glimpse (besides the wyvern's total awesomeness) how Manon starts believing there's a chance she has a heart and soul and that her grandmother's rules might not be the best to follow.
“Witches didn't need blood to survive, but humans didn't need wine, either.”
The King of Adarlan is still the biggest bastard I've had the (dis)pleasure of reading. I loathe the guy with every fiber of my being. He is wicked to the core, manipulative and selfish to no end. No, not just selfish, but greedy. Greedy for everything and anything, exactly like a monster. And what he did at the end, to my poor baby Dorian, made me wish that once Celaena comes back -- because she will come back -- she won't kill him. Oh no, I want her to keep him locked in a basement, to visit him everyday and torture him until he breaks, only to do it all over again the next day, because killing him would be too much of a mercy for the deeds he has done.
The other secondary characters were very well developed: the Ironteeth witches, Ren Allsbrook, Emrys, Luca and Maeve -- they were a testimony to SJM's awesome writing skills. And I might add that for me the writing style was slightly different. Improved. Better. More realistic, if you wish. There was a certain ease with which she used words that enchanted you completely. Plus, the swearing. I don't mind it one bit, but am I the only one that noticed it appeared more often than in the first two books? Matured characters, matured world, matured language, I guess.
The atmosphere is darker and the pace is thrilling, allowing you to breath for a bit before another near-death encounter or epic battle starts. The world-building was another winner, as we were able to see Wendlyn, Doranelle, the Ferien Gap and Adarlan again. We learn about the past, we meet Queen Maeve (who's quite a manipulative bitch), we run from terrifying creatures and we accompany Celaena as she masters her powers.
There isn't so much romance in the air, besides Dorian's plotline, because it's the last thing in our character's mind. And honestly, I don't really know who Celaena is going to end up with. Chaol still has issues with her and Dorian is currently viewing her as his friend, but things could still drastically change since there are 3 more books. It seems that even Aedion, her cousin, might have a shot since he wouldn't deny anything his queen would ask of him. And then there's Rowan who I'm not sure will actually have a romantic involvement with Aelin, but it's worth hoping for -- they would be unstoppable.
“He would not apologize for today, or yesterday, or for any of it. And she would not ask him to, not now that she understood that in the weeks she had been looking at him it had been like gazing at a reflection. No wonder she had loathed him.”
In terms of plot, you could say it's action-driven, but I beg to differ: the character development plays a part as big as the twists and turns and fights. It sure keeps you at the edge of your seat, courtesy of Sarah J. Mass' amazing writing, and makes you shudder at some new evil creatures or at the violence, but I basically view Heir of Fire as Celaena's healing journey, one necessary to fully accept her legacy.
“So you’d save another land, but not yours. Why can’t your friend save her own kingdom?”
“Because she is dead!” She screamed the last word so loudly it burned in her throat. “Because she is dead, and I am left with my worthless life!”
The Throne of Glass series slowly becomes a younger version of Game of Thrones (with less deaths, but keep in mind that there are worse fates than death...) and I couldn't be happier. With the same complexity, a gut-wrenching intensity and an amazing world, Heir of Fire brings out the big guns: twists, emotional punches, tearjerkers and amazing characters, not to mention the wonderfully built world. It's definitely the best one from the series yet and a total game-changer, so don't be surprised if it will keep you enthralled from start to finish. Fantasy to its finest, a story with heroes and monsters, Fae and humans, life and death. Read it the second it hits shelves, cause you won't be disappointed (unless you're the type that can't stomach the idea of enduring another year for the next book and to whom I recommend waiting a bit longer, because there is one hell of a cliff-hanger).
If you're looking for anything ToG related then check out this Throne of Glass fansite.
ENJOY!<3
February 3, 2024
5/5 ⭐
Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺
*stares blankly in space trying to think a way of living life now after this book destroyed me*
I just don’t even know what can I say about this book. It’s like everything I try to say gets validated and discarded at the same time. It feels frustrating and I am still not going to cope with it any time soon.
It is always very hard for me to write reviews for the Throne of Glass books. I mean, it is somehow impossible. I thought Crown of Midnight was hard to write, but holy gods, I think this one beat it (I don’t even want to think in how many ways the rest of the series is going to murder me).
A very important part of this book is Rowan Whitethorn, a Fae warrior prince who will initially seem the most obnoxious creature on earth, but until the end of this book, you’ll fall completely in love with him. His harshness and heart of stone are only the veils that cover Rowan’s true spirit – a gentle spirit; an honourable man with a true sense of loyalty.
„Loyalty is earned, not given.”
Another important part of the book is the apparition of Aelin’s long lost cousin, general Aedion Ashryver. His unshakable loyalty for his beloved cousin made him do atrocious things in the past ten years, but he still believes in Aelin’s return and is ready to sacrifice anything and everything to help her reign over her people, freeing them all, saving their lives.
And if you thought I was done with important parts, you’re awfully wrong. There is yet another very important part of the book and that is the magnificent appearance of the Ironteeth witch Manon Blackbeak. I don’t know how this happened, maybe I am the only one, maybe I am the one of the few, maybe the one of the many, but I love Manon. I really do love her character and her story and it makes me feel so attached to her knowing all the wicked things she and her coven went through in order to become these lethal creatures, heartless and soulless. Let’s give a sister the appreciation she deserves!
I am sorry to announce though that throughout the book the most boring of all characters had to be Chaol. I really am sorry, I actually skipped a couple of his chapters. Oops.
Until the end of the book though, my heart got so warm with love for him and also for my pretty prince Dorian that I just couldn’t take it anymore. Don’t want to sound too much, but boy, Chaol and Dorian really turned out to be the real OTP of the whole book and I am living for it.
As you already know (and if you don’t let me enlight you), I have a tendency to infiltrate some Romanianisms in my reviews. I know I am the only one in this whole wide world to make connections between a book I read and my language and culture but IT IS TRUE AND IT REALLY GOES RIGHTin my heart.
In Heir of Fire, there is a particular celebration going on on some point in Mistward and that one is called Beltane, which consists of bonfires being ignited at night for some brave people who are ready to jump across them for good luck and good lives. Here in Romania, we have this very same tradition (minus the music and the food, we only get sweets while attending). Our celebration is called Focul lui Sumendru , a Romanian tradition who is two thousand years old and it pretty much is the same as Beltane, but as in book Beltane is held in spring, our Foc is held in autumn, in order to keep the autumn steady as long as it can, to belate the harsh winter. Pretty cool, yeah, but DO NOT TRY IT AT HOME!
Okay, now that I’ve also opened the celebration discussion and also closed it I would very much like to mention that it is very imperious (if you allow me to say so) that you do not read this book in public! It gets very emotional and if you are like me, then it is a very complicated job to contain yourself while reading it.
Seriously, my face almost cracked while trying to repress a very unladylike word from getting out my throat.
Also, for my Romanians - Have you ever experienced Focul lui Sumendru?
Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺
*stares blankly in space trying to think a way of living life now after this book destroyed me*
I just don’t even know what can I say about this book. It’s like everything I try to say gets validated and discarded at the same time. It feels frustrating and I am still not going to cope with it any time soon.
It is always very hard for me to write reviews for the Throne of Glass books. I mean, it is somehow impossible. I thought Crown of Midnight was hard to write, but holy gods, I think this one beat it (
A very important part of this book is Rowan Whitethorn, a Fae warrior prince who will initially seem the most obnoxious creature on earth, but until the end of this book, you’ll fall completely in love with him. His harshness and heart of stone are only the veils that cover Rowan’s true spirit – a gentle spirit; an honourable man with a true sense of loyalty.
„Loyalty is earned, not given.”
Another important part of the book is the apparition of Aelin’s long lost cousin, general Aedion Ashryver. His unshakable loyalty for his beloved cousin made him do atrocious things in the past ten years, but he still believes in Aelin’s return and is ready to sacrifice anything and everything to help her reign over her people, freeing them all, saving their lives.
And if you thought I was done with important parts, you’re awfully wrong. There is yet another very important part of the book and that is the magnificent appearance of the Ironteeth witch Manon Blackbeak. I don’t know how this happened, maybe I am the only one, maybe I am the one of the few, maybe the one of the many, but I love Manon. I really do love her character and her story and it makes me feel so attached to her knowing all the wicked things she and her coven went through in order to become these lethal creatures, heartless and soulless. Let’s give a sister the appreciation she deserves!
I am sorry to announce though that throughout the book the most boring of all characters had to be Chaol. I really am sorry, I actually skipped a couple of his chapters. Oops.
Until the end of the book though, my heart got so warm with love for him and also for my pretty prince Dorian that I just couldn’t take it anymore. Don’t want to sound too much, but boy, Chaol and Dorian really turned out to be the real OTP of the whole book and I am living for it.
As you already know (and if you don’t let me enlight you), I have a tendency to infiltrate some Romanianisms in my reviews. I know I am the only one in this whole wide world to make connections between a book I read and my language and culture but IT IS TRUE AND IT REALLY GOES RIGHT
In Heir of Fire, there is a particular celebration going on on some point in Mistward and that one is called Beltane, which consists of bonfires being ignited at night for some brave people who are ready to jump across them for good luck and good lives. Here in Romania, we have this very same tradition (minus the music and the food, we only get sweets while attending). Our celebration is called Focul lui Sumendru , a Romanian tradition who is two thousand years old and it pretty much is the same as Beltane, but as in book Beltane is held in spring, our Foc is held in autumn, in order to keep the autumn steady as long as it can, to belate the harsh winter. Pretty cool, yeah, but DO NOT TRY IT AT HOME!
Okay, now that I’ve also opened the celebration discussion and also closed it I would very much like to mention that it is very imperious (if you allow me to say so) that you do not read this book in public! It gets very emotional and if you are like me, then it is a very complicated job to contain yourself while reading it.
Seriously, my face almost cracked while trying to repress a very unladylike word from getting out my throat.
Also, for my Romanians - Have you ever experienced Focul lui Sumendru?
September 6, 2014
I'm not sure what to say about Heir of Fire. Perhaps I don't need to say anything beyond: it took me months to read it. And I am the kind of crazy passionate reader that finishes good books in a day or two. It's been a while since a book took me longer than a week to read.
So basically:
I liked but had issues with Throne of Glass.
I absolutely LOVED Crown of Midnight.
But this book... this book was so... bloody... sloooooowwwwwww.
I wanted to DNF it so bad. I kept moving it between my "currently reading" and "on hold" shelves. I kept wondering if I could possibly just skip the last two thirds of this book and somehow pick the story up in next installment (I was informed that I could not). I have invested so much time and love in this series and these characters that I simply had to make myself finish... but holy shit, it was such a struggle.
The majority of this book?
So Maas tries to experiment with a bit of something different here and it neither a) works, nor b) fills me with much confidence for the state of the rest of the series. I'm seeing the way this whole thing is going...
Book one was fantasy-lite with a simplistic plot, filled with characters lacking in any real development to distinguish them from others in the genre, but it was fast-paced, sugary entertainment. Book two cranked it up several notches; here the characters became more fleshed out and nuanced, the plot was equally engaging but more complex and clever, and there was way more badassery. No complaints at all. And then we arrive at book three.
Heir of Fire feels like an attempt to be more sophisticated. It is well-written, contains several stories told through constantly changing POVs, and it is more than a hundred pages longer. And it is far far slower. Maas sacrifices everything deliciously fast-paced and compelling about her series in the first half so we can be introduced to a whole new cast of characters we don't care about, be taken through different (all boring) perspectives, and emerge feeling like we've read an extremely long filler book.
Dorian's new romance only served to remind me why I found him unbearably boring in the first book. Celaena - now in Wendlyn - meets a whole set of new people who failed to make any kind of impression on me. Even Chaol - whom I absolutely loved in both other books - lost his charm somewhere amid his own boring plot line. And just when I thought I might be starting to get invested in one of the stories, the chapter would end and I would leave the story of interest for at least fifty pages, guaranteeing that I would no longer care when we finally returned.
The most annoying thing about this book is how it wasn't even consistently slow. We'd get tiny little tidbits of awesome that would last a mere two or three pages and I would sit up a bit straighter and think "This is it. Finally we're getting to the good stuff..." until I realised it was just a false alarm and the story was still boring.
If I'm to give credit where it's due, I will say that I like the way Maas portrays friendships and makes them as important - if not more important - than the romantic relationships. It's an area of YA so often neglected and I find it especially refreshing to see a platonic relationship between young male and female characters crafted so well.
I will be reading the next book just because I have to give it a shot, but my expectations have been significantly lowered.
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So basically:
I liked but had issues with Throne of Glass.
I absolutely LOVED Crown of Midnight.
But this book... this book was so... bloody... sloooooowwwwwww.
I wanted to DNF it so bad. I kept moving it between my "currently reading" and "on hold" shelves. I kept wondering if I could possibly just skip the last two thirds of this book and somehow pick the story up in next installment (I was informed that I could not). I have invested so much time and love in this series and these characters that I simply had to make myself finish... but holy shit, it was such a struggle.
The majority of this book?
So Maas tries to experiment with a bit of something different here and it neither a) works, nor b) fills me with much confidence for the state of the rest of the series. I'm seeing the way this whole thing is going...
Book one was fantasy-lite with a simplistic plot, filled with characters lacking in any real development to distinguish them from others in the genre, but it was fast-paced, sugary entertainment. Book two cranked it up several notches; here the characters became more fleshed out and nuanced, the plot was equally engaging but more complex and clever, and there was way more badassery. No complaints at all. And then we arrive at book three.
Heir of Fire feels like an attempt to be more sophisticated. It is well-written, contains several stories told through constantly changing POVs, and it is more than a hundred pages longer. And it is far far slower. Maas sacrifices everything deliciously fast-paced and compelling about her series in the first half so we can be introduced to a whole new cast of characters we don't care about, be taken through different (all boring) perspectives, and emerge feeling like we've read an extremely long filler book.
Dorian's new romance only served to remind me why I found him unbearably boring in the first book. Celaena - now in Wendlyn - meets a whole set of new people who failed to make any kind of impression on me. Even Chaol - whom I absolutely loved in both other books - lost his charm somewhere amid his own boring plot line. And just when I thought I might be starting to get invested in one of the stories, the chapter would end and I would leave the story of interest for at least fifty pages, guaranteeing that I would no longer care when we finally returned.
The most annoying thing about this book is how it wasn't even consistently slow. We'd get tiny little tidbits of awesome that would last a mere two or three pages and I would sit up a bit straighter and think "This is it. Finally we're getting to the good stuff..." until I realised it was just a false alarm and the story was still boring.
If I'm to give credit where it's due, I will say that I like the way Maas portrays friendships and makes them as important - if not more important - than the romantic relationships. It's an area of YA so often neglected and I find it especially refreshing to see a platonic relationship between young male and female characters crafted so well.
I will be reading the next book just because I have to give it a shot, but my expectations have been significantly lowered.
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March 28, 2024
Sarah J Mass is a capital G God. I loved the way this book was structured with all of the main characters on their own separate journeys. I loved each new character that was introduced. Celaena’s character development in this book… there are no words for it. I would fall on my sword for Dorian. I know in my bones that the series is only going up from here and I’m buckled up in the passengers seat, holding on for dear life, praying to the Sun Goddess and any additional gods who will listen.
May 9, 2015
This is going to be a book that I will constantly be thinking about until I'm able to get my hands on the next book. It was incredible and I'm so happy with the way this story is evolving. NOW GIVE ME QUEEN OF SHADOWS.
(full video review coming soooooon)
(full video review coming soooooon)
October 11, 2023
even more obsessed with this world the second time round
January 29, 2024
I feel like every book in the series just gets better and better. I love the new characters and third povs in this book.
July 2, 2015
Reasons why I didn't like this book:
- It was dull as dirt
- It was waaaaaaaay too long
- I was so tired of the angst, no matter how justified it was
- Rowan is overrated. There, I said it.
- I fell asleep listening to the audiobook over 15 times. 7 alone for the last 10%.
- The chapters with the witches felt SO POINTLESS. (BTW, the king outlawed magic, but witches are okay? dafuq? Oh well, I don't care.)
- I feel like each book follows the same plot: Celena trains. Celena fights with cute guy. Mysterious monster is killing people. Celena kills monster. Fin.
UGH. I CAN'T.
- It was dull as dirt
- It was waaaaaaaay too long
- I was so tired of the angst, no matter how justified it was
- Rowan is overrated. There, I said it.
- I fell asleep listening to the audiobook over 15 times. 7 alone for the last 10%.
- The chapters with the witches felt SO POINTLESS. (BTW, the king outlawed magic, but witches are okay? dafuq? Oh well, I don't care.)
- I feel like each book follows the same plot: Celena trains. Celena fights with cute guy. Mysterious monster is killing people. Celena kills monster. Fin.
UGH. I CAN'T.
May 5, 2018
”She has no hope, Prince. She has no hope left in her heart. Help her. If not for her sake, then at least for what she represents – what she could offer all of us, you included.”
“And what is that?” he dared ask.
Emrys met his gaze unflinchingly as he whispered, “A better world.”
First of all: YES, the rumour is true!
This series really gets better and better with each and every single book! ;-)
Just thought I’d let you know! *lol*
To be honest, after “Crown of Midnight” all I hoped for was that “Heir of Fire” would be able to keep the pace. And tell you what? It actually exceeded my, admittedly, already high expectations! Yes, Sarah! You did an amazing job with this one! I was hooked right from the beginning and I didn’t want to stop to read this damn book!!!
I loved this book, I loved it so freaking much! It was so, so, so, so, SOOO, good!!!
And I was happy with it, I was SO happy with it!
UNTIL… UNTIL the last 20 pages hit me!! ARGH!!! T_T
I thought I’d be able to write about “Heir of Fire” without getting all too emotional but as it seems all my plans and good intentions just went out of the window. I can’t write about this book without getting emotional! I just can’t! It was too much!! That ending was too much!!! WHY?
WHY THE FREAKIDY FREAKING HELL, SARAH!!!!????
How could you do this to me??!!
HOW?!
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
BUT I HATE THIS ENDING SO MUCH!
I hate it,
I love it,
I hate that I love it,
I love that I hate it!
ADSFJKLMNÖ ADKFASLDFJASDKFASDK!
*throws book against the wall*
*a second time*
*for good measure*
Okay, I think I’m ready to continue now. *takes deep breath and collects herself*
All right! Let’s do this!
Just like with “Crown of Midnight” I won’t waste your time by writing about the plot. It’s way too complex to explain it without any spoilers and because of that, I guess it might be best if I just go for another round of “Keyword Boggle”!
It was so much fun the last time around, wasn’t it? ;-P
So here I go: Celaena, Dorian, Chaol, Rowan, Aelin, Manon, Abraxos, Sorscha, The King, magic, faeries, witches, darkness, fire, ice, wind, a kitchen, a healer, an apartment, blood, murder, and let’s not forget about the black stones. XD
I guess by now you could write your own book! *lol*
We’re still speaking about Sarah’s book though, so I’ll head directly into the characters section and won’t keep you in suspense any longer.
The characters:
Do I still have to say it? Yes? Okay! Beware of my characters section because it’s known as the spoilery spoiler section of my reviews! Don’t read on, close your eyes, eat an ice, please think twice, I’m not nice, my reviews have spice. And spoilers, lots of spoilers, but you already know that or you wouldn’t have continued to read that bad rhyme! ;-P
Celaena:
”So you’d save another land, but not yours. Why can’t your friend save her own kingdom?”
“Because she is dead!” She screamed the last word so loudly it burned in her throat. “Because she is dead, and I am left with my worthless life!”
*sighs deeply* Oh, Celaena! How much pain does this poor girl have to endure? It hurt to read about her feelings after Nehemia’s death, it hurt to read how much she ached and wished she could have been someone else. That she could have saved her friend. That Nehemia would live instead of her. That Chaol would have trusted her. That he would have told her… Oh boy, Celaena’s heart was a black void of desperation and pain that only seemed to get worse before it even got a chance to get better. In the end it did get better though and I’m so happy about that! She finally found her inner strength and she accepted her heritage! Which is awesome, because I really can’t wait for her to kick some ass! *lol* Heaven knows the King’s behind is already a formidable target and please Sarah if there is any justice in your world you’ll let him burn for what he did!!! You’ll let him suffer for all the pain he caused!!! I can’t wait to see Celaena’s power unleashed! Guess the palace is going to be “hot stuff” soon! ;-P
”He had chosen the king. Even though he’d claimed he loved her, he still loyally served that monster. Maybe she had been a fool for letting him in, for dreaming of a world where she could ignore the fact that he was captain to the man who had shattered her life again and again.”
”No, all she could see were the slaves she’d left behind, the ashy mountains and those mass graves they dug every day, the faces of her people, who had worked beside her – her people whom she had left behind. Whom she had let herself forget, had let suffer; who had prayed for salvation, holding out hope that someone, anyone would remember them.
She had abandoned them – and she had been too late.”
”She would not let that light go out. She would fill the world with it, with her light – her gift. She would light up the darkness, so brightly that all who were lost or wounded or broken would find their way to it, a beacon for those who still dwelled in that abyss. It would not take a monster to destroy a monster – but light, light to drive out darkness.
She was not afraid.”
Chaol:
”He was afraid of what they would do to his kingdom. Because this was still his kingdom. He was working for Dorian, not Aelin – not Aedion. And he didn’t know where all of this put him.”
YESH! I know it was a long and hard way for Chaol but as it seems he’s finally on the right track! I loved that he began to question everything. He was so insecure and hurt that he had no other choice than to face his outlook on things and in the end this eventually forced him to see behind the kings carefully kept façade. Which is awesome, because I know deep down within him Chaol is a very good man!!! He was just completely oblivious to the fact that the served a monster! Still, I’m glad he decided for Dorian and I swear if Celaena and Chaol don’t do anything about this damn ending, I’m going to riot!!!! CHAOL you gotta help your Prince and rightful king!!!!
”I will not turn my back on my kingdom or my prince,” Chaol snapped. “I will not fight in your army and slaughter my people. And I will not break my vow to my father.” His honor might very well be all he would have left after the end of this.
Aedion was quiet long enough that Chaol got up to leave. But then the general said, “What would you have given – just to see her again?”
Chaol couldn’t turn around as he said, “It doesn’t matter now.”
Chaol kept his sword drawn. “I will not go to Anielle,” he growled. “And I will not serve you a moment longer. There is one true king in this room – there always has been. And he is not sitting on that throne.”
Dorian:
”Once Dorian might have already said something about it. But having magic, getting drawn into whatever mess Celaena was in, seeing that other world in the secret tunnels … all of that had changed everything. The best he could do these days was maintain a low profile – to keep his father or anyone else from looking too long in his direction.”
WHY SARAH??!! WHYYYYY? *breaks down and sobs* Why do you have to use him as a human punching bag? Dorian is so decent and compassionate; he doesn’t deserve to be broken!!! First you hurt him by finding out about Chaol’s and Celaena’s secret, then you kill off his girlfriend and in the end you even let him be forced into the Kings slavery!!?? LIKE SERIOUSLY!!?? WTFH!!?? WTF!!?? I CAN’T WITH THIS ENDING!!! I JUST CAN’T!!! HE SUFFERED ENOUGH!!! I don’t even want to know what is going to happen now that he’s wearing this freaking collar! He saved Chaol’s life! GODDAMNIT!!! GIVE MY BOY A BREAK!!! Sarah, I swear it here and now if Dorian isn’t saved by the end of book 4 I won’t continue to read this series. I just won’t! I know it’s the author’s right and decision to kill off characters or to make them suffer as they please, but I just can’t take it anymore. Dorian is my cutiepie and cinnamon roll and I think my heart hurts enough! I survived 3 books of ACOTAR watching how my precious Lucien went through hell and I just can’t take this anymore. Lucien never got his happily ever after and it still hurts!!! So no, sorry but no! If Dorian isn’t at least halfway alright after “Queen of Shadows” then I’m quitting this series! Period! I made up my mind! There was so much potential to give Dorian’s character a chance to evolve and to be awesome and interesting! So much raw magic that could have been used, but all that happened was that Sorscha died and Dorian sacrificed himself for Chaol. I’m pissed, I’m majorly pissed! And coming from me that means a lot! So yeah, this wrong is better set right or I’m quitting! I’m serious and I mean it! This said:
#TeamDorian forever and for always!!! <333
”He’d been a fool once, swearing he would tear the world apart for Celaena. A boy in love with a wildfire – or believing he was in love with one.”
”Because you’re not really scared of those things, are you? No – it’s what they represent. The change. But let me tell you,” Dorian breathed, his magic flickering and then subsiding in a flash of pain, “things have already changed. And changed because of you. I have magic – there is no undoing that, not getting rid of it. And as for Celaena …” He clamped down on the power that surged as he imagined – for the first time, he realized – what it was to be her. “As for Celaena,” he said again, “you do not have the right to wish she were not what she is. The only thing you have a right to do is decide whether you are her enemy or her friend.”
”We’re all risking something.” There was so little of the friend he’d grown up with. The prince glanced at his pocket watch. “I need to go.” Dorian stalked to the stairs, and there was no fear in his face, no doubt, as he said, “You gave me the truth today, so I’ll share mine: even if it meant us being friends again, I don’t think I would want to go back to how it was before – who I was before. And this …” He jerked his chin towards the scattered crystals and the bowl of water. “I think this is a good change, too. Don’t fear it.”
Aedion Ashryver:
”Handsome was a light way of describing what Aedion was. Overwhelming was more like it. Towering and heavily muscled, Aedion was every inch the warrior rumor claimed him to be.”
I like Aedion! I like him a lot!!! He’s such a tortured soul and he tried everything possible in order to protect his people! He was an intriguing new character and I can’t wait to see more of him. I really liked his interactions with Dorian because they were so much fun! *lol* Those two have a lot of potential to become close friends, but I guess the ending of this book kind of nullified that possibility. Still, I want Aedion’s noble and brave soul to be rescued as well and I don’t even want to know what the king is going to do with him. T_T I hope Aelin returns soon because her boys definitely need her right now! Poor Aedion, he waited for so long!!! And if I’m already at it! He saved Chaol’s ass too, so Chaol better get his groove on! He needs to make plans to save him as well! XD
”Cousin – that had been his most beloved title. Cousin, kin, protector. Those were the secret names he harboured deep within, the names he whispered to himself when the northern wind was shrieking through the Staghorns.”
”Aelin would come back from Wendlyn, no matter what the captain believed. Aelin would come back, and when she did … With every breath, Aedion felt that lingering scent wrapping tighter around his heart and soul. When she came back, he was never letting her go.”
”All you monsters can burn in hell. Because my queen is coming – and she will spike you to the walls of your godsdamned castle. And I can’t wait to help her gut you like the pig you are.” He spat at the king’s feet, right on top of the fake ring that had stopped bouncing.
Rowan:
”She noticed then that his arms were bandaged, and more bandages across his broad chest peeked up from beneath his shirt. She’d burned him again. And yet he had held on to her – had run all the way here and not let go once.”
The fierce, broody and intense warrior! I like him even though I have to admit that his abilities as a teacher kind of lack experience. *lol* Still, he’s a decent fae and despite the way he acted at the beginning of the book his heart actually seems to be in the right place. I loved that he took care of Celaena once he realised why she’s so broken and I suppose their fight at the beginning was kind of necessary. They both needed to let off some steam. XD I genuinely hope we’ll see more of him in the next book, because I feel like there is so much more to tell! ;-)
”How – how did you come back from that kind of loss?”
“I didn’t. For a long while I couldn’t. I think I’m still … not back. I might never be.”
She nodded, lips pressed tight, and glanced toward the window.
“But maybe,” he said, quietly enough that she looked at him again. He didn’t smile, but his eyes were inquisitive. “Maybe we could find the way back together.”
Manon:
Silent as death, Manon slid up behind him. The fool didn’t even know she was there until she brought her mouth close to his ear and whispered, “Wrong kind of witch.”
I’M IN LOVE WITH MANON BLACKBEAK!!! This woman is so savage and fierce! I love it! *lol* As it seems for once my prayers were answered! I got more of the iron teeth witches and I loved every single chapter! XD Manon is so damn amazing! I just couldn’t get enough of her and followed her storyline closely. Truth be told, I just want to lean back and watch how her and Abraxos change the world. Haha! I disliked Manon’s grandmother a lot though and even though she became Wing Leader I’m pretty sure there will be some major estrangement in the future. Still, I loved Manon’s connection with Asterin and her Thirteen and I really hope they’ll always be at her side. Maybe Petrah will join them one day? Idk! I truly hope she’ll be fine some day because I really liked her too. >_<
”You’re mine,” Manon said to him.
The wyvern blinked at her, Titus’s blood still dripping from his cracked and broken teeth, and Manon had the feeling that he had come to the same decision. Perhaps he had known long before tonight, and his fight with Titus hadn’t been so much about survival as it had been a challenge to claim her.
As his rider. As his mistress. As his.”
”And Manon, because no one was watching, because she did not care, flung out her arms as well and savoured the freefall, the wind now a song in her ears, in her shriveled heart.”
”You touch him again,” Manon said, “and I’ll drink the marrow from your bones.”
The friendships & ships:
Chaol & Dorian:
He met Dorian’s gaze. There was nothing kind in it. But Dorian said, “I’m trying, Chaol.”
Trying, because Chaol’s not consulting him on the plan to get Celaena out of Adarlan had been a breach of trust, and one that shamed him, though Dorian could never know that, either. “I know.”
Oh, those two broke my heart! I really wanted them to solve their problems and then this damn ending came along!!! ARGH! They need a chance to fix all this! Sarah give them a chance, please!? They deserve it! And OMG Chaol told Dorian that he loves him!!! Way too late but he did it!!! <33 I just want my two boys to be happy and friends again. *sobs* They both suffered enough in those last two books, they really deserve some peace!!! And to take away their chance to make amends!! So mean, Sarah! So, so mean!!! >_<
”You think I’d run to my father?” The words were barely more than a strangled whisper as the temperature plummeted.
Chaol stepped forward, putting himself between Aedion and Dorian, his palms exposed. Placating. “I can’t afford to guess – to hope. Even with you.”
”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.”
”He looked at his friend, perhaps for the last time, and said what he had always known, from the moment they’d met, when he’d understood that the prince was his brother in soul. “I love you.” Dorian merely nodded, eyes still blazing, and lifted his hands again towards his father. Brother. Friend. King.
Sorscha & Dorian:
”She usually talked like this when she was nervous. Which, Dorian had noticed with some satisfaction, was when he came near. And not in a bad way – if he’d sensed that she was truly uncomfortable, he’d have kept his distance. This was more … flustered. He liked flustered.”
I suppose their relationship was doomed right from the beginning but I still would have liked it to work out. They were so sweet together, but I can’t shake the feeling that I missed some major parts of their plot. I really wish Sarah would have given us more of them because to me their entire storyline felt kinda rushed. Still, I was glad Sorscha helped Dorian to hide his magic and her being a spy was such an unexpected plot twist. >_< It really killed me when the King ordered her death and I can’t even describe how much Dorian’s pain hurt me! T_T I’m still not over this… probably I’ll never be!
”Yes,” he breathed, and kissed her. It was fast – but her face was flushed, and her eyes wide as he pulled back. His own eyes were wide, gods be damned, and he was still rubbing his thumb against her soft cheek. Still contemplating going back for more, because that hadn’t been nearly enough.”
Celaena & Rowan:
”Why don’t you just bite me again?”
“Why don’t I give you the lashing you deserve?”
He looked so dead set on it that she blinked. “If you ever take a whip to me, I will skin you alive.”
Oh, ho ho! Those two!! So much passion, so much pain! They were quite a sight to behold! *lol* I loved how their initial animosity turned into a solid friendship and I was so glad Celaena finally told someone about her past! This was so damn necessary and I’m glad Rowan was there to listen to her troubles and fears! <3 I’m sure they’ll become lovers in the future, but as it seems Sarah just wants to torture us a little bit more. ;-P After all she’s good at that, torture seems to be her middle name! XD Bet the J. is just a fib! Haha!
”It was a selfish wish, and a fool’s hope.” She read the rest of it in his eyes. But it came true. “Dangerous, for a prince of ice and wind to pray to the Fire-Bringer,” she managed to say.
Rowan shrugged, a secret smile on his face as he wiped away the tear that escaped down her cheek. “For some reason, Mala likes me, and agreed that you and I make a formidable pair.”
Okay, I think I ranted enough now. *lol* So yeah, I hope I’ll get my hands on “Queen of Shadows” soon and that my precious Gem will continue this journey with me! I even wrote nice things about Chaol!! That’s got to count! ;-P
“And what is that?” he dared ask.
Emrys met his gaze unflinchingly as he whispered, “A better world.”
First of all: YES, the rumour is true!
This series really gets better and better with each and every single book! ;-)
Just thought I’d let you know! *lol*
To be honest, after “Crown of Midnight” all I hoped for was that “Heir of Fire” would be able to keep the pace. And tell you what? It actually exceeded my, admittedly, already high expectations! Yes, Sarah! You did an amazing job with this one! I was hooked right from the beginning and I didn’t want to stop to read this damn book!!!
I loved this book, I loved it so freaking much! It was so, so, so, so, SOOO, good!!!
And I was happy with it, I was SO happy with it!
UNTIL… UNTIL the last 20 pages hit me!! ARGH!!! T_T
I thought I’d be able to write about “Heir of Fire” without getting all too emotional but as it seems all my plans and good intentions just went out of the window. I can’t write about this book without getting emotional! I just can’t! It was too much!! That ending was too much!!! WHY?
WHY THE FREAKIDY FREAKING HELL, SARAH!!!!????
How could you do this to me??!!
HOW?!
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
BUT I HATE THIS ENDING SO MUCH!
I hate it,
I love it,
I hate that I love it,
I love that I hate it!
ADSFJKLMNÖ ADKFASLDFJASDKFASDK!
*throws book against the wall*
*a second time*
*for good measure*
Okay, I think I’m ready to continue now. *takes deep breath and collects herself*
All right! Let’s do this!
Just like with “Crown of Midnight” I won’t waste your time by writing about the plot. It’s way too complex to explain it without any spoilers and because of that, I guess it might be best if I just go for another round of “Keyword Boggle”!
It was so much fun the last time around, wasn’t it? ;-P
So here I go: Celaena, Dorian, Chaol, Rowan, Aelin, Manon, Abraxos, Sorscha, The King, magic, faeries, witches, darkness, fire, ice, wind, a kitchen, a healer, an apartment, blood, murder, and let’s not forget about the black stones. XD
I guess by now you could write your own book! *lol*
We’re still speaking about Sarah’s book though, so I’ll head directly into the characters section and won’t keep you in suspense any longer.
The characters:
Do I still have to say it? Yes? Okay! Beware of my characters section because it’s known as the spoilery spoiler section of my reviews! Don’t read on, close your eyes, eat an ice, please think twice, I’m not nice, my reviews have spice. And spoilers, lots of spoilers, but you already know that or you wouldn’t have continued to read that bad rhyme! ;-P
Celaena:
”So you’d save another land, but not yours. Why can’t your friend save her own kingdom?”
“Because she is dead!” She screamed the last word so loudly it burned in her throat. “Because she is dead, and I am left with my worthless life!”
*sighs deeply* Oh, Celaena! How much pain does this poor girl have to endure? It hurt to read about her feelings after Nehemia’s death, it hurt to read how much she ached and wished she could have been someone else. That she could have saved her friend. That Nehemia would live instead of her. That Chaol would have trusted her. That he would have told her… Oh boy, Celaena’s heart was a black void of desperation and pain that only seemed to get worse before it even got a chance to get better. In the end it did get better though and I’m so happy about that! She finally found her inner strength and she accepted her heritage! Which is awesome, because I really can’t wait for her to kick some ass! *lol* Heaven knows the King’s behind is already a formidable target and please Sarah if there is any justice in your world you’ll let him burn for what he did!!! You’ll let him suffer for all the pain he caused!!! I can’t wait to see Celaena’s power unleashed! Guess the palace is going to be “hot stuff” soon! ;-P
”He had chosen the king. Even though he’d claimed he loved her, he still loyally served that monster. Maybe she had been a fool for letting him in, for dreaming of a world where she could ignore the fact that he was captain to the man who had shattered her life again and again.”
”No, all she could see were the slaves she’d left behind, the ashy mountains and those mass graves they dug every day, the faces of her people, who had worked beside her – her people whom she had left behind. Whom she had let herself forget, had let suffer; who had prayed for salvation, holding out hope that someone, anyone would remember them.
She had abandoned them – and she had been too late.”
”She would not let that light go out. She would fill the world with it, with her light – her gift. She would light up the darkness, so brightly that all who were lost or wounded or broken would find their way to it, a beacon for those who still dwelled in that abyss. It would not take a monster to destroy a monster – but light, light to drive out darkness.
She was not afraid.”
Chaol:
”He was afraid of what they would do to his kingdom. Because this was still his kingdom. He was working for Dorian, not Aelin – not Aedion. And he didn’t know where all of this put him.”
YESH! I know it was a long and hard way for Chaol but as it seems he’s finally on the right track! I loved that he began to question everything. He was so insecure and hurt that he had no other choice than to face his outlook on things and in the end this eventually forced him to see behind the kings carefully kept façade. Which is awesome, because I know deep down within him Chaol is a very good man!!! He was just completely oblivious to the fact that the served a monster! Still, I’m glad he decided for Dorian and I swear if Celaena and Chaol don’t do anything about this damn ending, I’m going to riot!!!! CHAOL you gotta help your Prince and rightful king!!!!
”I will not turn my back on my kingdom or my prince,” Chaol snapped. “I will not fight in your army and slaughter my people. And I will not break my vow to my father.” His honor might very well be all he would have left after the end of this.
Aedion was quiet long enough that Chaol got up to leave. But then the general said, “What would you have given – just to see her again?”
Chaol couldn’t turn around as he said, “It doesn’t matter now.”
Chaol kept his sword drawn. “I will not go to Anielle,” he growled. “And I will not serve you a moment longer. There is one true king in this room – there always has been. And he is not sitting on that throne.”
Dorian:
”Once Dorian might have already said something about it. But having magic, getting drawn into whatever mess Celaena was in, seeing that other world in the secret tunnels … all of that had changed everything. The best he could do these days was maintain a low profile – to keep his father or anyone else from looking too long in his direction.”
WHY SARAH??!! WHYYYYY? *breaks down and sobs* Why do you have to use him as a human punching bag? Dorian is so decent and compassionate; he doesn’t deserve to be broken!!! First you hurt him by finding out about Chaol’s and Celaena’s secret, then you kill off his girlfriend and in the end you even let him be forced into the Kings slavery!!?? LIKE SERIOUSLY!!?? WTFH!!?? WTF!!?? I CAN’T WITH THIS ENDING!!! I JUST CAN’T!!! HE SUFFERED ENOUGH!!! I don’t even want to know what is going to happen now that he’s wearing this freaking collar! He saved Chaol’s life! GODDAMNIT!!! GIVE MY BOY A BREAK!!! Sarah, I swear it here and now if Dorian isn’t saved by the end of book 4 I won’t continue to read this series. I just won’t! I know it’s the author’s right and decision to kill off characters or to make them suffer as they please, but I just can’t take it anymore. Dorian is my cutiepie and cinnamon roll and I think my heart hurts enough! I survived 3 books of ACOTAR watching how my precious Lucien went through hell and I just can’t take this anymore. Lucien never got his happily ever after and it still hurts!!! So no, sorry but no! If Dorian isn’t at least halfway alright after “Queen of Shadows” then I’m quitting this series! Period! I made up my mind! There was so much potential to give Dorian’s character a chance to evolve and to be awesome and interesting! So much raw magic that could have been used, but all that happened was that Sorscha died and Dorian sacrificed himself for Chaol. I’m pissed, I’m majorly pissed! And coming from me that means a lot! So yeah, this wrong is better set right or I’m quitting! I’m serious and I mean it! This said:
#TeamDorian forever and for always!!! <333
”He’d been a fool once, swearing he would tear the world apart for Celaena. A boy in love with a wildfire – or believing he was in love with one.”
”Because you’re not really scared of those things, are you? No – it’s what they represent. The change. But let me tell you,” Dorian breathed, his magic flickering and then subsiding in a flash of pain, “things have already changed. And changed because of you. I have magic – there is no undoing that, not getting rid of it. And as for Celaena …” He clamped down on the power that surged as he imagined – for the first time, he realized – what it was to be her. “As for Celaena,” he said again, “you do not have the right to wish she were not what she is. The only thing you have a right to do is decide whether you are her enemy or her friend.”
”We’re all risking something.” There was so little of the friend he’d grown up with. The prince glanced at his pocket watch. “I need to go.” Dorian stalked to the stairs, and there was no fear in his face, no doubt, as he said, “You gave me the truth today, so I’ll share mine: even if it meant us being friends again, I don’t think I would want to go back to how it was before – who I was before. And this …” He jerked his chin towards the scattered crystals and the bowl of water. “I think this is a good change, too. Don’t fear it.”
Aedion Ashryver:
”Handsome was a light way of describing what Aedion was. Overwhelming was more like it. Towering and heavily muscled, Aedion was every inch the warrior rumor claimed him to be.”
I like Aedion! I like him a lot!!! He’s such a tortured soul and he tried everything possible in order to protect his people! He was an intriguing new character and I can’t wait to see more of him. I really liked his interactions with Dorian because they were so much fun! *lol* Those two have a lot of potential to become close friends, but I guess the ending of this book kind of nullified that possibility. Still, I want Aedion’s noble and brave soul to be rescued as well and I don’t even want to know what the king is going to do with him. T_T I hope Aelin returns soon because her boys definitely need her right now! Poor Aedion, he waited for so long!!! And if I’m already at it! He saved Chaol’s ass too, so Chaol better get his groove on! He needs to make plans to save him as well! XD
”Cousin – that had been his most beloved title. Cousin, kin, protector. Those were the secret names he harboured deep within, the names he whispered to himself when the northern wind was shrieking through the Staghorns.”
”Aelin would come back from Wendlyn, no matter what the captain believed. Aelin would come back, and when she did … With every breath, Aedion felt that lingering scent wrapping tighter around his heart and soul. When she came back, he was never letting her go.”
”All you monsters can burn in hell. Because my queen is coming – and she will spike you to the walls of your godsdamned castle. And I can’t wait to help her gut you like the pig you are.” He spat at the king’s feet, right on top of the fake ring that had stopped bouncing.
Rowan:
”She noticed then that his arms were bandaged, and more bandages across his broad chest peeked up from beneath his shirt. She’d burned him again. And yet he had held on to her – had run all the way here and not let go once.”
The fierce, broody and intense warrior! I like him even though I have to admit that his abilities as a teacher kind of lack experience. *lol* Still, he’s a decent fae and despite the way he acted at the beginning of the book his heart actually seems to be in the right place. I loved that he took care of Celaena once he realised why she’s so broken and I suppose their fight at the beginning was kind of necessary. They both needed to let off some steam. XD I genuinely hope we’ll see more of him in the next book, because I feel like there is so much more to tell! ;-)
”How – how did you come back from that kind of loss?”
“I didn’t. For a long while I couldn’t. I think I’m still … not back. I might never be.”
She nodded, lips pressed tight, and glanced toward the window.
“But maybe,” he said, quietly enough that she looked at him again. He didn’t smile, but his eyes were inquisitive. “Maybe we could find the way back together.”
Manon:
Silent as death, Manon slid up behind him. The fool didn’t even know she was there until she brought her mouth close to his ear and whispered, “Wrong kind of witch.”
I’M IN LOVE WITH MANON BLACKBEAK!!! This woman is so savage and fierce! I love it! *lol* As it seems for once my prayers were answered! I got more of the iron teeth witches and I loved every single chapter! XD Manon is so damn amazing! I just couldn’t get enough of her and followed her storyline closely. Truth be told, I just want to lean back and watch how her and Abraxos change the world. Haha! I disliked Manon’s grandmother a lot though and even though she became Wing Leader I’m pretty sure there will be some major estrangement in the future. Still, I loved Manon’s connection with Asterin and her Thirteen and I really hope they’ll always be at her side. Maybe Petrah will join them one day? Idk! I truly hope she’ll be fine some day because I really liked her too. >_<
”You’re mine,” Manon said to him.
The wyvern blinked at her, Titus’s blood still dripping from his cracked and broken teeth, and Manon had the feeling that he had come to the same decision. Perhaps he had known long before tonight, and his fight with Titus hadn’t been so much about survival as it had been a challenge to claim her.
As his rider. As his mistress. As his.”
”And Manon, because no one was watching, because she did not care, flung out her arms as well and savoured the freefall, the wind now a song in her ears, in her shriveled heart.”
”You touch him again,” Manon said, “and I’ll drink the marrow from your bones.”
The friendships & ships:
Chaol & Dorian:
He met Dorian’s gaze. There was nothing kind in it. But Dorian said, “I’m trying, Chaol.”
Trying, because Chaol’s not consulting him on the plan to get Celaena out of Adarlan had been a breach of trust, and one that shamed him, though Dorian could never know that, either. “I know.”
Oh, those two broke my heart! I really wanted them to solve their problems and then this damn ending came along!!! ARGH! They need a chance to fix all this! Sarah give them a chance, please!? They deserve it! And OMG Chaol told Dorian that he loves him!!! Way too late but he did it!!! <33 I just want my two boys to be happy and friends again. *sobs* They both suffered enough in those last two books, they really deserve some peace!!! And to take away their chance to make amends!! So mean, Sarah! So, so mean!!! >_<
”You think I’d run to my father?” The words were barely more than a strangled whisper as the temperature plummeted.
Chaol stepped forward, putting himself between Aedion and Dorian, his palms exposed. Placating. “I can’t afford to guess – to hope. Even with you.”
”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.”
”He looked at his friend, perhaps for the last time, and said what he had always known, from the moment they’d met, when he’d understood that the prince was his brother in soul. “I love you.” Dorian merely nodded, eyes still blazing, and lifted his hands again towards his father. Brother. Friend. King.
Sorscha & Dorian:
”She usually talked like this when she was nervous. Which, Dorian had noticed with some satisfaction, was when he came near. And not in a bad way – if he’d sensed that she was truly uncomfortable, he’d have kept his distance. This was more … flustered. He liked flustered.”
I suppose their relationship was doomed right from the beginning but I still would have liked it to work out. They were so sweet together, but I can’t shake the feeling that I missed some major parts of their plot. I really wish Sarah would have given us more of them because to me their entire storyline felt kinda rushed. Still, I was glad Sorscha helped Dorian to hide his magic and her being a spy was such an unexpected plot twist. >_< It really killed me when the King ordered her death and I can’t even describe how much Dorian’s pain hurt me! T_T I’m still not over this… probably I’ll never be!
”Yes,” he breathed, and kissed her. It was fast – but her face was flushed, and her eyes wide as he pulled back. His own eyes were wide, gods be damned, and he was still rubbing his thumb against her soft cheek. Still contemplating going back for more, because that hadn’t been nearly enough.”
Celaena & Rowan:
”Why don’t you just bite me again?”
“Why don’t I give you the lashing you deserve?”
He looked so dead set on it that she blinked. “If you ever take a whip to me, I will skin you alive.”
Oh, ho ho! Those two!! So much passion, so much pain! They were quite a sight to behold! *lol* I loved how their initial animosity turned into a solid friendship and I was so glad Celaena finally told someone about her past! This was so damn necessary and I’m glad Rowan was there to listen to her troubles and fears! <3 I’m sure they’ll become lovers in the future, but as it seems Sarah just wants to torture us a little bit more. ;-P After all she’s good at that, torture seems to be her middle name! XD Bet the J. is just a fib! Haha!
”It was a selfish wish, and a fool’s hope.” She read the rest of it in his eyes. But it came true. “Dangerous, for a prince of ice and wind to pray to the Fire-Bringer,” she managed to say.
Rowan shrugged, a secret smile on his face as he wiped away the tear that escaped down her cheek. “For some reason, Mala likes me, and agreed that you and I make a formidable pair.”
Okay, I think I ranted enough now. *lol* So yeah, I hope I’ll get my hands on “Queen of Shadows” soon and that my precious Gem will continue this journey with me! I even wrote nice things about Chaol!! That’s got to count! ;-P
June 3, 2021
Ohmygosh. The Maas-ter has done it again
Celaena - deadly, battered and broken - is sent to a neighboring kingdom. She must find a way to destroy the wyrdkeys to save the kingdom (and possibly the world) from the rule of a corrupt kingdom.
P.s. Young Celaena is possibly my fave character ever.
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She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.This one was so freaking good. Honestly, when was the last time that the third book in a series was just as good as the first?
Celaena - deadly, battered and broken - is sent to a neighboring kingdom. She must find a way to destroy the wyrdkeys to save the kingdom (and possibly the world) from the rule of a corrupt kingdom.
And then I am going to rattle the stars.Manon - ruthless, disciplined and wicked - is of the blackbeak witches. She's sent to join the corrupt king's army as a wyvern rider and manages to raise hell while doing it.
There were few sounds she enjoyed more than the groans of dying men, but the wind was one of them.Chaol and Dorian - prim, proper and honestly bit boring - must deal with their ever-collapsing kingdom. From mass murder to magic mayhem, this year is going to the ultimate make-or-break for them.
He would see that world reborn, even if it took his last breath. Even if he had no name now, no position or title save Oath-Breaker, Traitor, Liar.Sarah J Maas manages to weave these three unique storylines together in such an unforgettable way. I could hardly read this one fast enough. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next!
P.s. Young Celaena is possibly my fave character ever.
Her dearest friends are characters in books.
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July 29, 2024
Brilliant. Sarah J Maas is becoming my favourite author. Her writing style is engaging, engrossing, intelligent, and easy to follow. Her imagination and storytelling are amazing. This story is a lot slower than the Crown of Midnight; it concentrates more on the character development.
At the end of the last book, we learned not only who Celaena Sardothien really is but also what she really is. Her relationship with Chaol is in tatters. Having "suggested" to the king to send her on a mission for her own protection and cutting Prince Dorian out of the loop, Chaol is in no man’s land. Distancing himself from Dorian, for Dorian own protection, he starts to do his job and notices some irregularities with a certain high-ranking general. This forces Chaol to make some decisions of his own, how long can a good honourable man serve a tyrant like the King of Aldarlan and his many atrocities.
Dorian is more alone than he has ever been, but he does manage to find solace. Finding a company is not really difficult for a handsome prince, but who can he trust. This is triply difficult as he has to not only keep his own actives, which his father will not approve of secret, his friends secrets, and most of all, his magic.
We also introduced the Iron Teeth Witch Clans and especially Manon Blackbeak. Meanwhile, Celaena detours from her mission and pursues her own agenda. Meeting forgotten and powerful relatives. Before she is allowed to get the answers she wants, she must claim her heritage (her powers). She must learn to control them and master them all the while, putting he shattered life and her past. I really like the way she has to train and relearn everything. Just because you are in a stronger body does not mean you can control it, especially in a fight situation.
Great story, very character driven, and impossible to put down. I kept thinking I would just read one more chapter, flicked a few pages, and thought ok I will stop at the next section break, or that's a short chapter might as well as finish it. Suddenly, half a quarter of the book was gone. Despite being 550+ pages, the book just flies by. It sets up the next book excellently, including a confrontation I have been begging for since the first e-novel.
At the end of the last book, we learned not only who Celaena Sardothien really is but also what she really is. Her relationship with Chaol is in tatters. Having "suggested" to the king to send her on a mission for her own protection and cutting Prince Dorian out of the loop, Chaol is in no man’s land. Distancing himself from Dorian, for Dorian own protection, he starts to do his job and notices some irregularities with a certain high-ranking general. This forces Chaol to make some decisions of his own, how long can a good honourable man serve a tyrant like the King of Aldarlan and his many atrocities.
Dorian is more alone than he has ever been, but he does manage to find solace. Finding a company is not really difficult for a handsome prince, but who can he trust. This is triply difficult as he has to not only keep his own actives, which his father will not approve of secret, his friends secrets, and most of all, his magic.
We also introduced the Iron Teeth Witch Clans and especially Manon Blackbeak. Meanwhile, Celaena detours from her mission and pursues her own agenda. Meeting forgotten and powerful relatives. Before she is allowed to get the answers she wants, she must claim her heritage (her powers). She must learn to control them and master them all the while, putting he shattered life and her past. I really like the way she has to train and relearn everything. Just because you are in a stronger body does not mean you can control it, especially in a fight situation.
Great story, very character driven, and impossible to put down. I kept thinking I would just read one more chapter, flicked a few pages, and thought ok I will stop at the next section break, or that's a short chapter might as well as finish it. Suddenly, half a quarter of the book was gone. Despite being 550+ pages, the book just flies by. It sets up the next book excellently, including a confrontation I have been begging for since the first e-novel.
August 21, 2014
Initial Reaction: Holy crap. I can't breathe. Oh my god. That was epic. WHERE IS BOOK #4??
Read the full review at A Perfection Called Books
**This review contains spoilers from previous Throne of Glass books
As I'm sure you all know by now, I am obsessed with the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. I was ecstatic when Bloomsbury sent me an ARC! Picking up not long after the heart-wrenching end of Crown of Midnight, Sarah J Maas dazzles and entrances readers once more with a phenomenal third book filled with magic, character growth, sacrifice, rebellion and more.
“I wish you to become who you were born to be. To become queen.”
Heir of Fire has most definitely made my list of best books of 2014. This book is quite different from the others in the series. I liked it a bit less than the other two, but it was so different it's hard to compare them. The other books center around romance and action while this book deals with the deeper stuff: betrayal, confidence, mourning, rebellion, heritage, loyalty...
This book is huge. It was a bit cumbersome to hold, but the content was great! The beginning was a bit slow but eventually picked up. Everything written was absolutely necessary to carry the story though, so I didn't mind. The attention to detail was amazing. Everything was there for a reason, there were connections to the other books all over the place! It brought back all the feels from The Assassin's Blade & Crown of Midnight. Sarah J Maas is so meticulous about her writing and is truly in a league of her own. The tone of the book was much darker too. Maas has set this series on a much darker (and awesome) road than most YA series (even fantasy novels) tend to go, and I applaud her for it.
The high fantasy aspect of this book was amped up. There was magic and wyverns and fae! I loved it all. This series reminds me of a YA version of Game of Thrones a bit... Less sex and deaths though. The world-building was fantastic. Everything was so clearly described. I could see it all playing out in my mind.
The character development in this series is fantastic. Each of our characters has his/her own obstacles that must be overcome; they all have their own journeys.
“Because I am lost," she whispered onto the earth. "And I do not know the way.”
We see a totally different side of Celaena in Heir of Fire. We're used to the cocky, confident, invincible assassin. In this book we see the vulnerable, defeated, self-loathing side of her. In the end though she comes out more fierce and determined than before, a magic-wielding queen ready to take back what's rightfully hers.
“As for Celaena," he said again, "you do not have the right to wish she were not what she is. The only thing you have a right to do is decide whether you are her enemy or her friend.”
Chaol struggles to decide where his loyalties lie and how he feels about Celaena and the discoveries he made in Crown of Midnight. I'll admit, Chaol annoyed me so much in this book. He redeems himself in the end though. Dorian struggles to conceal his magic and stand up to his father. Both characters come so far in this book. They sacrifice so much and in the end they make the tough decisions where this is no turning back.
There are quite a few new characters introduced in this book: Rowan, the fae prince and warrior who teaches Celaena how to control her magic. Aedion, the fierce general and Celaena's cousin. Manon, ferocious heir to the Blackbeak witch coven. All of the characters in this book are so complex and well developed. The secondary characters are just as descriptive as well. I ALMOST ship Rowan and Celaena, but I think they're more of a team. He's so fiercely devoted and smart and honest and awesome!! Aedion is so loyal and amazing. Manon is okay, she's a bit too blood-thirsty...
With new characters come more points of view. Overall I liked the various perspectives because the plot needed all sides of the story to make sense. Sometimes though I felt that some scenes were quite unnecessary and long and dragging.
We learn so many things about Erilea and what happened to Celaena ten years ago. It's all quite mind-blowing and a bit overwhelming. We also learn more about the King's nefarious actions. We see connections all over the place from the various books! Maas has been spreading the crumbs throughout the series until BAM you read Heir of Fire, and it all comes together!! The wyrdstones. The tower. The rings. The disappearances. The crumbled note. The rebels. Baba Yellowlegs. Everything happens for a reason and contributes to the story in some way.
“The people you love are just weapons that will be used against you.”
Romance was not a big part of this novel. There are some heartache moments for our dearest Chaolaena and a bit of romance, but there are much more important things brewing in Erilea and Wendlyn. This series is past the silly romance, it's moved on to the important stuff like defeating a diabolical king, bringing back magic, freeing the enslaved, and so on.
As I said before, this book starts off a bit slow. Stick with it though, if you liked the other books you'll love this one as well. The ending is horrific yet amazing at the same time. The rebellion is forming, and we readers are kept wanting more.
“He would see that world reborn, even if it took his last breath. Even if he had no name now, no position or title save Oath-Breaker, Traitor, Liar.”
Heir of Fire is yet another amazing installment of the Throne of Glass series. WHERE IS BOOK #4????
“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”
Pre-Reading Hyped Review:
Read the full review at A Perfection Called Books
**This review contains spoilers from previous Throne of Glass books
As I'm sure you all know by now, I am obsessed with the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. I was ecstatic when Bloomsbury sent me an ARC! Picking up not long after the heart-wrenching end of Crown of Midnight, Sarah J Maas dazzles and entrances readers once more with a phenomenal third book filled with magic, character growth, sacrifice, rebellion and more.
“I wish you to become who you were born to be. To become queen.”
Heir of Fire has most definitely made my list of best books of 2014. This book is quite different from the others in the series. I liked it a bit less than the other two, but it was so different it's hard to compare them. The other books center around romance and action while this book deals with the deeper stuff: betrayal, confidence, mourning, rebellion, heritage, loyalty...
This book is huge. It was a bit cumbersome to hold, but the content was great! The beginning was a bit slow but eventually picked up. Everything written was absolutely necessary to carry the story though, so I didn't mind. The attention to detail was amazing. Everything was there for a reason, there were connections to the other books all over the place! It brought back all the feels from The Assassin's Blade & Crown of Midnight. Sarah J Maas is so meticulous about her writing and is truly in a league of her own. The tone of the book was much darker too. Maas has set this series on a much darker (and awesome) road than most YA series (even fantasy novels) tend to go, and I applaud her for it.
The high fantasy aspect of this book was amped up. There was magic and wyverns and fae! I loved it all. This series reminds me of a YA version of Game of Thrones a bit... Less sex and deaths though. The world-building was fantastic. Everything was so clearly described. I could see it all playing out in my mind.
The character development in this series is fantastic. Each of our characters has his/her own obstacles that must be overcome; they all have their own journeys.
“Because I am lost," she whispered onto the earth. "And I do not know the way.”
We see a totally different side of Celaena in Heir of Fire. We're used to the cocky, confident, invincible assassin. In this book we see the vulnerable, defeated, self-loathing side of her. In the end though she comes out more fierce and determined than before, a magic-wielding queen ready to take back what's rightfully hers.
“As for Celaena," he said again, "you do not have the right to wish she were not what she is. The only thing you have a right to do is decide whether you are her enemy or her friend.”
Chaol struggles to decide where his loyalties lie and how he feels about Celaena and the discoveries he made in Crown of Midnight. I'll admit, Chaol annoyed me so much in this book. He redeems himself in the end though. Dorian struggles to conceal his magic and stand up to his father. Both characters come so far in this book. They sacrifice so much and in the end they make the tough decisions where this is no turning back.
There are quite a few new characters introduced in this book: Rowan, the fae prince and warrior who teaches Celaena how to control her magic. Aedion, the fierce general and Celaena's cousin. Manon, ferocious heir to the Blackbeak witch coven. All of the characters in this book are so complex and well developed. The secondary characters are just as descriptive as well. I ALMOST ship Rowan and Celaena, but I think they're more of a team. He's so fiercely devoted and smart and honest and awesome!! Aedion is so loyal and amazing. Manon is okay, she's a bit too blood-thirsty...
With new characters come more points of view. Overall I liked the various perspectives because the plot needed all sides of the story to make sense. Sometimes though I felt that some scenes were quite unnecessary and long and dragging.
We learn so many things about Erilea and what happened to Celaena ten years ago. It's all quite mind-blowing and a bit overwhelming. We also learn more about the King's nefarious actions. We see connections all over the place from the various books! Maas has been spreading the crumbs throughout the series until BAM you read Heir of Fire, and it all comes together!! The wyrdstones. The tower. The rings. The disappearances. The crumbled note. The rebels. Baba Yellowlegs. Everything happens for a reason and contributes to the story in some way.
“The people you love are just weapons that will be used against you.”
Romance was not a big part of this novel. There are some heartache moments for our dearest Chaolaena and a bit of romance, but there are much more important things brewing in Erilea and Wendlyn. This series is past the silly romance, it's moved on to the important stuff like defeating a diabolical king, bringing back magic, freeing the enslaved, and so on.
As I said before, this book starts off a bit slow. Stick with it though, if you liked the other books you'll love this one as well. The ending is horrific yet amazing at the same time. The rebellion is forming, and we readers are kept wanting more.
“He would see that world reborn, even if it took his last breath. Even if he had no name now, no position or title save Oath-Breaker, Traitor, Liar.”
Heir of Fire is yet another amazing installment of the Throne of Glass series. WHERE IS BOOK #4????
“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”
Pre-Reading Hyped Review:
April 12, 2020
i love rereads! i love taking the risk and seeing if a story is as good as you remember it being or if your feelings have changed. in this case, i enjoyed this book (and series, in general) so much more my second go-around.
feelings that stayed the same:
feelings that changed:
i am running out of ways to praise the masterpiece that is SJM storytelling. she tends to be simple in her writing, but a rawness and vibrancy comes through in that simplicity, which makes the story easy to devour. and this third installment is no exception; if anything, its even better!
i loved learning more about celaenas past (which i have been desperate for since book one) and i enjoyed seeing chaol develop as a character. if i could change anything about this book, however, it would have been to not separate the main characters. i hate it when the plot of a book allows for a separation because i spend the entire book waiting forever for everyone to be reunited again. so i am very much looking forward to that reunion in the next book!
↠ 4.5 stars
feelings that stayed the same:
- gratitute for the information given about celaena/aelins past
- love for chaols character development
- appreciation for the insanely effective writing and world building
feelings that changed:
- i was no longer bothered by the characters being split up and sent different directions______________________________
- i immediately bonded with rowan, whereas it originally took me until book #4 to do so
- manons chapters bored me, for some reason, this time around
i am running out of ways to praise the masterpiece that is SJM storytelling. she tends to be simple in her writing, but a rawness and vibrancy comes through in that simplicity, which makes the story easy to devour. and this third installment is no exception; if anything, its even better!
i loved learning more about celaenas past (which i have been desperate for since book one) and i enjoyed seeing chaol develop as a character. if i could change anything about this book, however, it would have been to not separate the main characters. i hate it when the plot of a book allows for a separation because i spend the entire book waiting forever for everyone to be reunited again. so i am very much looking forward to that reunion in the next book!
↠ 4.5 stars
March 25, 2024
“the people you love are just weapons that will be used against you.”
4.5 stars
where do i start?!
hello, manon.
hello, rowan.
and HELLO, ABRAXOS, my sweet, flower-loving baby🥹🌷
MY HEART!!!
the fact that i would go to the ends of the earth for these fictional characters should tell you enough. i began as a chaol girly, but now i have anunhealthy attachment to all my babies. all of the povs were just amazing and my heart hurts for everyone. 🥲 #justicefordorian
i know a shitstorm has to be coming in the next few books and i am not prepared. SJM loves to play with my feelings.
”i claim you… to whatever end.” 🩷
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
all of my ToG reviews can be found here:
1. the assassin’s blade
2. throne of glass
3. crown of midnight
4. heir of fire
5. queen of shadows
6. empire of storms
7. tower of dawn
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
4.5 stars
where do i start?!
hello, manon.
hello, rowan.
and HELLO, ABRAXOS, my sweet, flower-loving baby🥹🌷
MY HEART!!!
the fact that i would go to the ends of the earth for these fictional characters should tell you enough. i began as a chaol girly, but now i have an
i know a shitstorm has to be coming in the next few books and i am not prepared. SJM loves to play with my feelings.
”i claim you… to whatever end.” 🩷
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
all of my ToG reviews can be found here:
1. the assassin’s blade
2. throne of glass
3. crown of midnight
4. heir of fire
5. queen of shadows
6. empire of storms
7. tower of dawn
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
July 11, 2021
"Hello, Aelin Galathynius."
Finally made it to the light at the end of the tunnel! It was touch and go for two books, but this... this didn't even feel like belonging to the same series anymore. Maas has fixed almost everything I didn't care for in the first two books, starting with Celaena's character, which is literally gone, to be replaced by new and improved, and more believable Aelin Galathynius. The assassin who never assassinates, or even behaves as an assassin is no more.
While we still get to enjoy the three key POVs, there are some great new characters being improved in this third book, each sharing their own perspectives. The way Maas tying two or three of them at a time (may be except for Manon) for each chapter made for a little unusual, but quite an interesting reading experience. It broke the monotony of the flow of story very well in my opinion. And Manon... A fascinating new character with her own immersive thread. I was a little confused at start, but quickly came to love that particular plotline: It was new, had a lot of mystery, and continuously eventful. And then Aedion and Rowan, who were equally interesting additions to the story, and there was never a dull moment with this trio.
"It was madness and joy and terror and despair and eternity."
Now that I have finished three books, I did start to see certain similarities as well. In each book, Maas took her time in the first half, maintaining a slower pace, heavily focused on character relationships while sprinkling a little bit of magic and mystery here and there. But the second halves were always much faster, eventful, and a lot more thrilling. I was too annoyed with Celaena's character before to clearly notice this before, but I'm hoping it would be consistent throughout the series.
Though it didn't make much sense, I had still found the plot of this of series intriguing from the very first book. Heir of Fire finally explains many of those mysteries we had come across before, and appeared to be setting the direction of the series. More than once, I felt this could've been a better starting point to this series. Compared to where we started, the plot was also a lot more complex with in-depth world building. With 4 more books remaining, I know it's too early to form an overall opinion, but, it feels like things could only get better after this. This is one of the best comebacks I've came across lately.
"Loyalty is earned, not given."
Finally made it to the light at the end of the tunnel! It was touch and go for two books, but this... this didn't even feel like belonging to the same series anymore. Maas has fixed almost everything I didn't care for in the first two books, starting with Celaena's character, which is literally gone, to be replaced by new and improved, and more believable Aelin Galathynius. The assassin who never assassinates, or even behaves as an assassin is no more.
While we still get to enjoy the three key POVs, there are some great new characters being improved in this third book, each sharing their own perspectives. The way Maas tying two or three of them at a time (may be except for Manon) for each chapter made for a little unusual, but quite an interesting reading experience. It broke the monotony of the flow of story very well in my opinion. And Manon... A fascinating new character with her own immersive thread. I was a little confused at start, but quickly came to love that particular plotline: It was new, had a lot of mystery, and continuously eventful. And then Aedion and Rowan, who were equally interesting additions to the story, and there was never a dull moment with this trio.
"It was madness and joy and terror and despair and eternity."
Now that I have finished three books, I did start to see certain similarities as well. In each book, Maas took her time in the first half, maintaining a slower pace, heavily focused on character relationships while sprinkling a little bit of magic and mystery here and there. But the second halves were always much faster, eventful, and a lot more thrilling. I was too annoyed with Celaena's character before to clearly notice this before, but I'm hoping it would be consistent throughout the series.
Though it didn't make much sense, I had still found the plot of this of series intriguing from the very first book. Heir of Fire finally explains many of those mysteries we had come across before, and appeared to be setting the direction of the series. More than once, I felt this could've been a better starting point to this series. Compared to where we started, the plot was also a lot more complex with in-depth world building. With 4 more books remaining, I know it's too early to form an overall opinion, but, it feels like things could only get better after this. This is one of the best comebacks I've came across lately.
"Loyalty is earned, not given."
May 14, 2015
BEAUTIFUL. JUST SO DANG BEAUTIFUL.
I loved the new characters (except Sorscha) and it was just a wonderful book. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF MANON. AND ROWAN. AND CELAENA (duh).
Now where's my copy of Queen of Shadows?
I loved the new characters (except Sorscha) and it was just a wonderful book. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF MANON. AND ROWAN. AND CELAENA (duh).
Now where's my copy of Queen of Shadows?
August 15, 2019
perfection.
July 24, 2024
I dont think you fuckers realize how fecking amazing this series is
This series is either a love or hate for most, but either way you have to admit how brilliant the writing is, how dynamic the characters are and how shocking those freaking PLOT twists are !!
Celaena our heroine-- broken and exhausted by life... and goddamn I relate to that
Aelin is so much more developed now three books later and with each calculated move, you love her more. Her story has become so much more than the simple assassin trying to buy her freedom we first met. Now a powerful queen willing to fight for everyone’s freedom....once she figures out how to masters her powers that is
That firebreathing bitch (✿ ♥‿♥) And of course I fell in love with Rowan
Even Rowan found out that she is so much more than the deadly insane assassin persona she showed to the world for so many years. And really how could he fucking judge, the goddamn fey assassin for fucking queen Maeve *eye rolling*
And the training scenes were hilarious !! Sometimes this can be a dull part of a book OR worse!! When people are suddenly masters of epic powers *grrrrr* Instead, she epically messed up... quite a lot... Aelin had to learn to control her abilities and fucked up quite a bit, to be honest
CAN'T YOU JUST PICTURE IT !
She began the story as Celaena: assassin of Adarlan betrayed by loved Chaol, manipulated by Nehemia, and scared of her own power and destiny. She ended as
And it all comes together with reiterating my FAVORITE quote from the first book
“So she steeled herself. “I have never told anyone this story. No one in the world knows it. But it’s mine,” she said, blinking past the burning in her eyes, “and it’s time for me to tell it.”
This series is either a love or hate for most, but either way you have to admit how brilliant the writing is, how dynamic the characters are and how shocking those freaking PLOT twists are !!
Celaena our heroine-- broken and exhausted by life... and goddamn I relate to that
“You cannot pick and choose what parts of her to love. You do not have the right to wish she were not what she is.”But she learns to embrace her powers and control them. Sometimes it takes a monster to fight a monster.
“Perhaps they would never get out of it, perhaps they would never be whole again, but … “Together,” she said, and took his outstretched hand.It's honestly been SUCH an amazing journey on how far our character has come. I mean seriously, her story is just fucking amazing and complex and intricate and everything has meaning and comes together and this world is just awesome
And somewhere far and deep inside her, an ember began to glow.”
“She told him of the years in Rifthold, of stealing Asterion horses and racing across the desert, of dancing until dawn with courtesans and thieves and all the beautiful, wicked creatures in the world. “
Aelin is so much more developed now three books later and with each calculated move, you love her more. Her story has become so much more than the simple assassin trying to buy her freedom we first met. Now a powerful queen willing to fight for everyone’s freedom....once she figures out how to masters her powers that is
“She was not its slave. She was no one’s slave anymore. And if Rowan threw one more damned dagger at her face— He did.”
That firebreathing bitch (✿ ♥‿♥) And of course I fell in love with Rowan
“Wipe that smarmy, lying smile off your face.” His voice was as dead as his eyes, but it had a razor-sharp bite behind it.
She kept her smarmy, lying smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Even Rowan found out that she is so much more than the deadly insane assassin persona she showed to the world for so many years. And really how could he fucking judge, the goddamn fey assassin for fucking queen Maeve *eye rolling*
“At least if you’re going to hell,” he said, the vibrations in his chest rumbling against her, “then we’ll be there together.”
“I feel bad for the dark god already.”
And the training scenes were hilarious !! Sometimes this can be a dull part of a book OR worse!! When people are suddenly masters of epic powers *grrrrr* Instead, she epically messed up... quite a lot... Aelin had to learn to control her abilities and fucked up quite a bit, to be honest
“But each morning brought something new, something harder and different and miserable. Gods, he was brilliant. Cunning and wicked and brilliant.
Even when he beat the hell out of her. Every. Damn. Day.”
CAN'T YOU JUST PICTURE IT !
She began the story as Celaena: assassin of Adarlan betrayed by loved Chaol, manipulated by Nehemia, and scared of her own power and destiny. She ended as
“She was as much a queen as Maeve. She was the sovereign of a strong people and a mighty kingdom. She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”
And it all comes together with reiterating my FAVORITE quote from the first book
“I will call in every favor, every debt owed to Celaena Sardothien, to my parents, to my bloodline. And then…” She looked toward the sea, toward home. “And then I am going to rattle the stars.”
August 18, 2023
I loved this book. I enjoyed how the chapters jumped to completely different scenes, like Aelin in wendyll, to Manon, to Things happening in adarlan. The stuff going on back in Adarlan was a tad boring and not my favorite chapters. They were slow and felt a tad unimportant in some cases. BUT THE ONES WITH AELIN AND ROWAN. Loved every second of them. AND what was going on with the witches, loved. It was cool to see aelins power come to life and really see her break through mental barriers to become so damn strong.
ROWAN BLOOD OATHING TO SERVE AELIN UM OK
ROWAN BLOOD OATHING TO SERVE AELIN UM OK
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2021
Uuuuh, girl.
Empezamos a ver el evidente cambio en el universo de Trono de Cristal, una saga que comienza de forma un poco 'inocente' para lo que nos espera en sus continuaciones. Se nota hacia dónde vamos, y todo lo que ha llevado a este punto simplemente encaja, cuadra y te hace querer descubrir todo lo que Sarah tiene entre manos para con esta saga.
Mucha gente odia a Celaena (¡cosa que no entiendo!), y aunque en ocasiones toma ciertas decisiones más que cuestionables, siempre sale airosa de las situaciones, porque tiene una mente estratégica y conoce perfectamente las posibles variables de sus planes. Pero sobre todo, lo que más me gusta de ella, es su psique. Es fuerte, conoce sus límites y miedos, y es capaz de controlar tantísimas emociones y guardarlas para fortalecerle que simplemente chapó. La construcción del personaje no deja de mejorar, viendo a una protagonista mucho más madura y adulta que en la primera parte de esta saga.
Heredera de fuego es diferente a los otros dos libros en muchos aspectos. No solo es mayor en cuanto a longitud de páginas, sino que por primera vez tenemos la introducción de nuevos personajes que tienen pinta de que han venido para quedarse. Además, no todos ellos tienen una presencia dentro del ecosistema que conocíamos en Adarlan con Celaena, Chaol o Dorian, sino que los mundos fantásticos de Maas exploran otras fronteras y nuevas posibilidades, algo que agradezco, porque se denota todo el cariño y esfuerzo de worldbuilding que tiene esta saga.
Para hablar de nuevos personajes... Podría tirarme horas, la verdad. Me ha encantado Rowan. DE VERDAD. Me parece una especie de Celaena, un poquito más oscuro, déspota y con menos sentimientos, pero igual de fuerte y disciplinado con un pasado traumático. El tándem que se genera entre Rowan y ella es de lo mejor del libro y no podía despegarme de las páginas en sus escenas. Luego tenemos a Manon, y descubriremos por fin más sobre la magia ancestral de las brujas en este universo que nos fue introducido vagamente en Corona de medianoche. Me ha encantado ver lo diferente que ese micro-cosmos sanguinario y milenario, con la introducción de nuevas criaturas fantásticas y conflictos que estoy seguro darán mucho que hablar en las continuaciones. También tenemos a Aedion, que simplemente... cheff kiss. Quizá no tanto por él en sí, sino todo lo que le rodea, lo que genera en cuanto a temática y lo que supone para el futuro de la historia.
He de admitir que me ha costado un poco terminar este libro. Lo abandoné un poquito más hacia el final, superado el ecuador, y como siempre me pasa... me arrepentí. Por mucho que me fascinara Manon como personaje, sus escenas a veces eran algo repetitivas. Lo que sucede en palacio con Dorian y Chaol era entretenido pero sentía que a veces renqueaba, avanzando demasiado lento. Pero bueno, que estoy hablando de un libro de Sarah J Maas. ¡Que en verdad no tiene relleno! Porque una vez avanzas esos obstáculos donde se definen personajes o se le da background a ciertas tramas o problemas, todo cobra sentido para desembocar en un final apoteósico.
[image error]
La evolución de la magia en este libro ha sido sin duda de lo mejor. Poder ver a Aelin disfrutar de todo su potencial, conocer la verdadera naturaleza de sus poderes, el inicio de lo que parece ser un ejército de zombies, los guivernos, conocer por fin el poder del rey de Adarlan... No sé, brillante que comencemos hablando de asesinatos para terminar en una guerra de poder mágico entre territorios.
Heredera de fuego puede no haberme volado la mente como los anteriores, pero consigue cementar a la saga como una de calidad superior y de personajes simplemente increíbles, y por eso se lleva mis dieces. Muero de ganas por tener en mis manos el siguiente, que saldrá a la venta en español en los próximos meses. ¡Ya os contaré!
Empezamos a ver el evidente cambio en el universo de Trono de Cristal, una saga que comienza de forma un poco 'inocente' para lo que nos espera en sus continuaciones. Se nota hacia dónde vamos, y todo lo que ha llevado a este punto simplemente encaja, cuadra y te hace querer descubrir todo lo que Sarah tiene entre manos para con esta saga.
Mucha gente odia a Celaena (¡cosa que no entiendo!), y aunque en ocasiones toma ciertas decisiones más que cuestionables, siempre sale airosa de las situaciones, porque tiene una mente estratégica y conoce perfectamente las posibles variables de sus planes. Pero sobre todo, lo que más me gusta de ella, es su psique. Es fuerte, conoce sus límites y miedos, y es capaz de controlar tantísimas emociones y guardarlas para fortalecerle que simplemente chapó. La construcción del personaje no deja de mejorar, viendo a una protagonista mucho más madura y adulta que en la primera parte de esta saga.
Heredera de fuego es diferente a los otros dos libros en muchos aspectos. No solo es mayor en cuanto a longitud de páginas, sino que por primera vez tenemos la introducción de nuevos personajes que tienen pinta de que han venido para quedarse. Además, no todos ellos tienen una presencia dentro del ecosistema que conocíamos en Adarlan con Celaena, Chaol o Dorian, sino que los mundos fantásticos de Maas exploran otras fronteras y nuevas posibilidades, algo que agradezco, porque se denota todo el cariño y esfuerzo de worldbuilding que tiene esta saga.
Para hablar de nuevos personajes... Podría tirarme horas, la verdad. Me ha encantado Rowan. DE VERDAD. Me parece una especie de Celaena, un poquito más oscuro, déspota y con menos sentimientos, pero igual de fuerte y disciplinado con un pasado traumático. El tándem que se genera entre Rowan y ella es de lo mejor del libro y no podía despegarme de las páginas en sus escenas. Luego tenemos a Manon, y descubriremos por fin más sobre la magia ancestral de las brujas en este universo que nos fue introducido vagamente en Corona de medianoche. Me ha encantado ver lo diferente que ese micro-cosmos sanguinario y milenario, con la introducción de nuevas criaturas fantásticas y conflictos que estoy seguro darán mucho que hablar en las continuaciones. También tenemos a Aedion, que simplemente... cheff kiss. Quizá no tanto por él en sí, sino todo lo que le rodea, lo que genera en cuanto a temática y lo que supone para el futuro de la historia.
He de admitir que me ha costado un poco terminar este libro. Lo abandoné un poquito más hacia el final, superado el ecuador, y como siempre me pasa... me arrepentí. Por mucho que me fascinara Manon como personaje, sus escenas a veces eran algo repetitivas. Lo que sucede en palacio con Dorian y Chaol era entretenido pero sentía que a veces renqueaba, avanzando demasiado lento. Pero bueno, que estoy hablando de un libro de Sarah J Maas. ¡Que en verdad no tiene relleno! Porque una vez avanzas esos obstáculos donde se definen personajes o se le da background a ciertas tramas o problemas, todo cobra sentido para desembocar en un final apoteósico.
[image error]
La evolución de la magia en este libro ha sido sin duda de lo mejor. Poder ver a Aelin disfrutar de todo su potencial, conocer la verdadera naturaleza de sus poderes, el inicio de lo que parece ser un ejército de zombies, los guivernos, conocer por fin el poder del rey de Adarlan... No sé, brillante que comencemos hablando de asesinatos para terminar en una guerra de poder mágico entre territorios.
Heredera de fuego puede no haberme volado la mente como los anteriores, pero consigue cementar a la saga como una de calidad superior y de personajes simplemente increíbles, y por eso se lleva mis dieces. Muero de ganas por tener en mis manos el siguiente, que saldrá a la venta en español en los próximos meses. ¡Ya os contaré!
April 8, 2021
I had forgotten how agonizing this book is.
It's a beautiful tale of grief, trauma, and in the end—triumph.
Celaena Sardothien. Arrogant, charming, fiercely loyal. She's been broken. Over and over and over again. And yet she still stands strong, even in the face of suffering, agony, and emotional torture. She came to Wendlyn an empty person, devoid of all joy and peace. She left Wendlyn changed. She faced her past. She learned to accept every shattered part of her.
Rowan Whitethorn. Resilient, stubborn, sardonic. He's all sharp edges and prickly thorns, but once Celaena gets past his rough exterior, she realizes he is hurting. Just like she is. They are kindred spirits in a lonely world.
Chaol Westfall. Bitter, persistent, brave. He was left in pieces when Celaena left for Wendlyn. His friendship with Dorian is in tatters, his mental health is at a low. But he carries on. He's the only ordinary human in a world filled with magic, and he feels his weaknesses with every step.
However, he is not right for Celaena, and we all know it. He sold her out and he refused to accept every part of her. He was an essential part of her journey, but she is a different person now.
Dorian Havilliard. Devoted, intelligent, determined. He's insightful and sensitive, always tuned to the feelings and needs of others. He's accepting and kind, forgiving and generous. He accepts Celaena and still treats her like a friend, understanding that she must move on.
Sorscha. Kind, gentle, courageous. I hated her the first time I read this book. But this time around, I was actually quite fond of her. She's a quiet, brave person. Her mild infatuation with Dorian still annoys me, but I can see now that she was absolutely essential to his recovery process. She helped Dorian when he was lonely and hurting. She made a discovery about magic that was very underwhelming, but at least she actually tried to help him.
Manon Blackbeak. Cruel, cold, adamant. Violent and steadfast and so gloriously brutal. She's devoted to the Thirteen before everyone else. She's terrifying and beautifully deadly, but she cares deeply once you get past her mask. She's been manipulated and molded into the killing machine that she is now, but there is a great possibility for kindness within her, and that part of her shows whenever she's around Abraxos.
Aedion Ashryver. Clever, loyal, haunted. He's hot-headed and bloodthirsty, but his mind never leaves Aelin. He's been living a lie ever since the massacre at Terrasen, and he's determined to destroy Adarlan from the inside out.
These characters are beautiful.
They're flawed, but so wonderfully vibrant. They jump off the page, almost. They have personal struggles and fears, but they're brave and loyal and dedicated to their cause. I love them.
4.5 stars
__
IT WAS WONDERFUL
IT WAS STUNNING
IT WAS PERFECTION
review to come
__
Throne of Glass reread marathon, part 3.
Buddy reread with many wonderful humans.
This had better be as good as it was the first time
It's a beautiful tale of grief, trauma, and in the end—triumph.
Celaena Sardothien. Arrogant, charming, fiercely loyal. She's been broken. Over and over and over again. And yet she still stands strong, even in the face of suffering, agony, and emotional torture. She came to Wendlyn an empty person, devoid of all joy and peace. She left Wendlyn changed. She faced her past. She learned to accept every shattered part of her.
Rowan Whitethorn. Resilient, stubborn, sardonic. He's all sharp edges and prickly thorns, but once Celaena gets past his rough exterior, she realizes he is hurting. Just like she is. They are kindred spirits in a lonely world.
Chaol Westfall. Bitter, persistent, brave. He was left in pieces when Celaena left for Wendlyn. His friendship with Dorian is in tatters, his mental health is at a low. But he carries on. He's the only ordinary human in a world filled with magic, and he feels his weaknesses with every step.
However, he is not right for Celaena, and we all know it. He sold her out and he refused to accept every part of her. He was an essential part of her journey, but she is a different person now.
"She was not becoming anything different from what she always was and always had the capacity to be. You just finally saw everything. And once you saw that other part of her..." Dorian said quietly. "You cannot pick and choose which parts of her to love."
Dorian Havilliard. Devoted, intelligent, determined. He's insightful and sensitive, always tuned to the feelings and needs of others. He's accepting and kind, forgiving and generous. He accepts Celaena and still treats her like a friend, understanding that she must move on.
Sorscha. Kind, gentle, courageous. I hated her the first time I read this book. But this time around, I was actually quite fond of her. She's a quiet, brave person. Her mild infatuation with Dorian still annoys me, but I can see now that she was absolutely essential to his recovery process. She helped Dorian when he was lonely and hurting. She made a discovery about magic that was very underwhelming, but at least she actually tried to help him.
Manon Blackbeak. Cruel, cold, adamant. Violent and steadfast and so gloriously brutal. She's devoted to the Thirteen before everyone else. She's terrifying and beautifully deadly, but she cares deeply once you get past her mask. She's been manipulated and molded into the killing machine that she is now, but there is a great possibility for kindness within her, and that part of her shows whenever she's around Abraxos.
Aedion Ashryver. Clever, loyal, haunted. He's hot-headed and bloodthirsty, but his mind never leaves Aelin. He's been living a lie ever since the massacre at Terrasen, and he's determined to destroy Adarlan from the inside out.
These characters are beautiful.
They're flawed, but so wonderfully vibrant. They jump off the page, almost. They have personal struggles and fears, but they're brave and loyal and dedicated to their cause. I love them.
4.5 stars
__
IT WAS WONDERFUL
IT WAS STUNNING
IT WAS PERFECTION
review to come
__
Throne of Glass reread marathon, part 3.
Buddy reread with many wonderful humans.
This had better be as good as it was the first time
August 17, 2016
THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING BETTER THEN THE PROGRESSION OF THIS SERIES.. THIS MIGHT BE MY FAVOURITE ONE SO FAR!
August 14, 2024
જ⁀➴
⋆˙✩ 4.75 stars
⟢ ⋆˙ “she was aelin ashryver galathynius and she would not be afraid.”
i can feel this series taking root in my soul. i quite literally had chills. i am obsessed.
⋆˙⟡ “she was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”
⟢ ⋆ ˚ my thoughts ˖ ࣪ .
during the previous books, the world building was confined to the walls of adarlan but this book changes things up as three main plots are introduced with a lot of information as well as new character introductions. i thought the new characters were very intriguing and there are so many different things going on but it wasn’t confusing at all, i thought it flowed so well.
initially i struggled with the constant changing of multiple pov’s as it is definitely something that i’m not used to. however, i ended up loving it and it was interesting to see what other things were happening outside of celaena’s pov. some parts were a little boring and slow *cough* chaol and dorian i am looking at you. but oh. my. god that ending had me seriously shaking. this book was so painful. i’m actually so emotionally invested in these characters, it’s scary. people weren’t lying when they said this series only gets better and better with each book!
⟢ ⋆ ˚ characters ˖ ࣪ .
⧼ ⟡ aelin
↳ this is definitely the turning point in her character arch and i never thought i could love her anymore than i do. her journey is carefully crafted throughout this book. her growth from the beginning to the end is insane. that’s MY baby girl. “get up.” and i’m crying all over again. my heart was breaking for her but i loved watching her finally accept herself. she deserves so much better.
˖ִ ࣪ ꨄ︎ “she would not let the light go out. she would fill the world with it, her light — her gift.”
⋆˙⟡ “one thought from me, and your city will burn.”
⋆˙⟡ “it is stone.” maeve snapped.
⋆˙⟡ celaena smiled “your people aren’t.”
she did NOT come to play.
⧼ ⟡ rowan
↳ sarah wasted no time introducing him (thank you queen) i outwardly gasped. there must be something seriously wrong with me bc i actually loved him in this book. i felt like a fan girl. he was such an ass but the girls that get it, get it. the way he thought about every interaction he had with her after he saw her back. i love him so much. when he tells you that you’re worthless and that you would have been more useful to the world if you died with your parents ten years ago >>>
˖ִ ࣪ ꨄ︎ “i claim you, too, aelin galathynius.”
⧼ ⟡ rowaelin
↳ enemies to lovers is going to do if for me every single time. it was done so well. rowan straight beat my girl UP (she deserved it for what she said) and he didn’t hesitate to bring her back to earth when necessary. the traumatic backstories nearly killed me though and seeing them gradually heal each other was everything. they literally mirror each other and they’re so perfect, alls i hear is wedding bells. “who did that to you?” it’s embarrassing how many times i’ve reread this scene.
˖ִ ࣪ ꨄ︎ “to whatever end.”
⧼ ⟡ manon
↳ a cold hearted witch and her sweet flower loving baby wyvern 😭🖤 her introduction was confusing i was like “who tf is this” for the first few chapters but then i was hooked! she done everyone a favor by being a literal man eater. i love her already and i know she’s going to be one of my all time favs characters. i NEED to see her and aelin meet. i don’t understand how ppl find manon’s chapters boring when chaol and dorian are right there!?! i was here for the witches and couldn’t care less about what was going on in adarlan.
˖ִ ࣪ ꨄ︎ “we are the thirteen, from now until the darkness claims us.”
⋆˙⟡ “you didn’t need a weapon at all when you were born one.”
she is quite literally MOTHER.
⋆˙✩ 4.75 stars
⟢ ⋆˙ “she was aelin ashryver galathynius and she would not be afraid.”
i can feel this series taking root in my soul. i quite literally had chills. i am obsessed.
⋆˙⟡ “she was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”
⟢ ⋆ ˚ my thoughts ˖ ࣪ .
during the previous books, the world building was confined to the walls of adarlan but this book changes things up as three main plots are introduced with a lot of information as well as new character introductions. i thought the new characters were very intriguing and there are so many different things going on but it wasn’t confusing at all, i thought it flowed so well.
initially i struggled with the constant changing of multiple pov’s as it is definitely something that i’m not used to. however, i ended up loving it and it was interesting to see what other things were happening outside of celaena’s pov. some parts were a little boring and slow *cough* chaol and dorian i am looking at you. but oh. my. god that ending had me seriously shaking. this book was so painful. i’m actually so emotionally invested in these characters, it’s scary. people weren’t lying when they said this series only gets better and better with each book!
⟢ ⋆ ˚ characters ˖ ࣪ .
⧼ ⟡ aelin
↳ this is definitely the turning point in her character arch and i never thought i could love her anymore than i do. her journey is carefully crafted throughout this book. her growth from the beginning to the end is insane. that’s MY baby girl. “get up.” and i’m crying all over again. my heart was breaking for her but i loved watching her finally accept herself. she deserves so much better.
˖ִ ࣪ ꨄ︎ “she would not let the light go out. she would fill the world with it, her light — her gift.”
⋆˙⟡ “one thought from me, and your city will burn.”
⋆˙⟡ “it is stone.” maeve snapped.
⋆˙⟡ celaena smiled “your people aren’t.”
she did NOT come to play.
⧼ ⟡ rowan
↳ sarah wasted no time introducing him (thank you queen) i outwardly gasped. there must be something seriously wrong with me bc i actually loved him in this book. i felt like a fan girl. he was such an ass but the girls that get it, get it. the way he thought about every interaction he had with her after he saw her back. i love him so much. when he tells you that you’re worthless and that you would have been more useful to the world if you died with your parents ten years ago >>>
˖ִ ࣪ ꨄ︎ “i claim you, too, aelin galathynius.”
⧼ ⟡ rowaelin
↳ enemies to lovers is going to do if for me every single time. it was done so well. rowan straight beat my girl UP (she deserved it for what she said) and he didn’t hesitate to bring her back to earth when necessary. the traumatic backstories nearly killed me though and seeing them gradually heal each other was everything. they literally mirror each other and they’re so perfect, alls i hear is wedding bells. “who did that to you?” it’s embarrassing how many times i’ve reread this scene.
˖ִ ࣪ ꨄ︎ “to whatever end.”
⧼ ⟡ manon
↳ a cold hearted witch and her sweet flower loving baby wyvern 😭🖤 her introduction was confusing i was like “who tf is this” for the first few chapters but then i was hooked! she done everyone a favor by being a literal man eater. i love her already and i know she’s going to be one of my all time favs characters. i NEED to see her and aelin meet. i don’t understand how ppl find manon’s chapters boring when chaol and dorian are right there!?! i was here for the witches and couldn’t care less about what was going on in adarlan.
˖ִ ࣪ ꨄ︎ “we are the thirteen, from now until the darkness claims us.”
⋆˙⟡ “you didn’t need a weapon at all when you were born one.”
she is quite literally MOTHER.
February 4, 2024
It gets better and better with every reread. I hope I never get sick of this.
“She’d been running for so long that she didn’t know what it was to stand and fight.”
Reread number 5.
Random tidbit:
Heir of Fire is as of now my favourite book in the series. This book is godsend, I’m telling you. The rich development of the plot and the characters, the scope of the world, the side characters, the multiple POV's... Maas truly outdid herself with this book.
Celaena was just phenomenal in this instalment. Her growth was astounding and I loved how this started off with her almost breaking down with grief and depression and intense self-hatred and shame. Sarah J Maas has a knack for really diving into broken characters, and as the story progressed and we found out more about Celaena’s past, I felt the weight of her sadness and responsibility with her. It was heartbreaking to read.
One of the main things I’ve noticed whilst rereading the series this time round is how parallel and connected each plot and each character is to one another. There’s something about that that I just love, because it not just about Celaena trying to reclaim who she is, but about how each characters struggle and success adds to the bigger picture of it all, of this world they are wanting to rebuild and the peace they’re trying to regain.
Every character and their journey is adding something to the story, the overall, bigger picture. And everything about this world and story just sits so well with me.
“She’d been running for so long that she didn’t know what it was to stand and fight.”
Reread number 5.
Random tidbit:
Heir of Fire is as of now my favourite book in the series. This book is godsend, I’m telling you. The rich development of the plot and the characters, the scope of the world, the side characters, the multiple POV's... Maas truly outdid herself with this book.
Celaena was just phenomenal in this instalment. Her growth was astounding and I loved how this started off with her almost breaking down with grief and depression and intense self-hatred and shame. Sarah J Maas has a knack for really diving into broken characters, and as the story progressed and we found out more about Celaena’s past, I felt the weight of her sadness and responsibility with her. It was heartbreaking to read.
One of the main things I’ve noticed whilst rereading the series this time round is how parallel and connected each plot and each character is to one another. There’s something about that that I just love, because it not just about Celaena trying to reclaim who she is, but about how each characters struggle and success adds to the bigger picture of it all, of this world they are wanting to rebuild and the peace they’re trying to regain.
Every character and their journey is adding something to the story, the overall, bigger picture. And everything about this world and story just sits so well with me.
August 17, 2024
[old review - endless 5⭐️]
As many stars as there are in the universe to rattle⭐️!!
"This despair and rage that lives and breathes inside me. There is no sanity to it, no gentleness. It is a monster dwelling under my skin. For the past ten years, I have worked every day, every hour, to keep that monster locked up. And the moment I talk about those two days, and what happened before and after, that monster is going to break loose, and there will be no accounting for what I do."
Heir of Fire is the turning point in the Throne of Glass series. Not only for Celaena Sardothien but also for all of her companions and enemies.
Heavy with grief, Celaena is sent on a mission by Adarlan's King, with the purpose of assassinating the King and Crown Prince of Wendlyn.
Unlike Erilea, magic roams freely in Wendlyn, a Kingdom ruled by House Ashryver. Located nearby is Doranelle also known as the City of Rivers, a Fae city ruled by its Fae Queen Maeve, one of the three Fae Sister-Queens. For ages, humans, Fae and demi-Fae dwell peacefully in that land.
By arriving at Varese, Wendlyn's Capital City and meeting Rowan Whitethorn, a Fae warrior serving under Queen Maeve, Celaena must face her heritage and learn to wield the dormant magic that has been coursing through her blood from birth in exchange for the valuable knowledge Queen Maeve holds that could save her friends and Erilea.
Celaena is taken to Mistward, the fortress and home to the demi-Fae, and there she will train with Rowan until she masters her powers and gets the answers she's seeking from Queen Maeve about the Wyrdkeys.
What I love mostly about Heir of Fire is Celaena's healing journey and experiencing the magnitude of her grief and despair especially after the events of Crown of Midnight. It made me wonder to what point will Celaena break to regain herself? Will she be forever haunted by the shadow of all her beloved dead? It made me realize that grief can be a bottomless pit you may never find a way out of.
Also, Rowan, Rowan, Rowan, Rowan, how I love and adore Rowan Whitethorn.
The story becomes more intense and full of tension which kept messing with my nerves and my heart. I'm truly yet again in awe of how Sarah J Maas seamlessly managed to expand the world of Throne of Glass beyond what we had in the first two books. The world-building and the setting was lushly atmospheric and rich in details.
The action-sequences fired me up and had me on the edge of my seat.
Heir of Fire introduced us to three new characters that have joined the main cast:
• Rowan Whitethorn: A Fae Prince and one of the six elite warriors serving under Queen Maeve.
• Aedion Ashryver: A General in Adarlan's army and cousin to Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, the lost heir of Terrasen.
• Manon Blackbeak: An Ironteeth Witch and Heir of the Blackbeak Witch Clan
The book is divided into multiple POVS
of: Celaena, Chaol, Dorian, Manon and Rowan.
Each character gets the proper development needed to push the story further which shaped the events of what is yet to come in the future.
In Celaena's chapters, I loved seeing the development between her and Rowan; feeling the intense tension between them, then seeing that dislike mellowing and turning into admiration and then witnessing that growing friendship between them turn into something much more precious, a bond sealed by the words "To Whatever End".
Through Manon Blackbeak's chapters, we are introduced to the Witch-clans of The Waste. There are three main Ironteeth Witch clans: The Blackbeaks, The Yellowlegs and The Bluebloods. The Ironteeth Witches are offered to choose Wyverns to fly into battle and become part of King Adarlan's new Aerial Legion. Manon chooses a bait wyvern and names him Abraxos, after the ancient serpent who held the world between his coils at the behest of the Three-Faced Goddess..
Chaol and Dorian's chapters give insight to the events occurring in Adarlan and the secrets that are uncovered especially the ones concerning Aelin. Dorian begins to learn more of his magic while Chaol must do what needs to be done in order to protect Dorian and his Kingdom. Also, a new romance sparks for Dorian with his healer Sorcha who helped attend to his, Chaol and Celaena's wounds for months.
I also loved the secondary characters that were present in the book: Emrys, Luca, Malakai, Asterin and the brief appearance of Rowan's Cadre.
To me, Heir of Fire was a healing book and an adventure that took me to different places at the same time. I felt the consuming rush of adrenaline through most of it, I felt the hollowness of the scenes that dealt with grief, and heart fluttered and tingled during the heartwarming scenes.
I think all this points out to why I love this book the most out of all the other 7 books in the series. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love the entire series but this book for holds a very special place in my heart.
As many stars as there are in the universe to rattle⭐️!!
"This despair and rage that lives and breathes inside me. There is no sanity to it, no gentleness. It is a monster dwelling under my skin. For the past ten years, I have worked every day, every hour, to keep that monster locked up. And the moment I talk about those two days, and what happened before and after, that monster is going to break loose, and there will be no accounting for what I do."
Heir of Fire is the turning point in the Throne of Glass series. Not only for Celaena Sardothien but also for all of her companions and enemies.
Heavy with grief, Celaena is sent on a mission by Adarlan's King, with the purpose of assassinating the King and Crown Prince of Wendlyn.
Unlike Erilea, magic roams freely in Wendlyn, a Kingdom ruled by House Ashryver. Located nearby is Doranelle also known as the City of Rivers, a Fae city ruled by its Fae Queen Maeve, one of the three Fae Sister-Queens. For ages, humans, Fae and demi-Fae dwell peacefully in that land.
By arriving at Varese, Wendlyn's Capital City and meeting Rowan Whitethorn, a Fae warrior serving under Queen Maeve, Celaena must face her heritage and learn to wield the dormant magic that has been coursing through her blood from birth in exchange for the valuable knowledge Queen Maeve holds that could save her friends and Erilea.
Celaena is taken to Mistward, the fortress and home to the demi-Fae, and there she will train with Rowan until she masters her powers and gets the answers she's seeking from Queen Maeve about the Wyrdkeys.
What I love mostly about Heir of Fire is Celaena's healing journey and experiencing the magnitude of her grief and despair especially after the events of Crown of Midnight. It made me wonder to what point will Celaena break to regain herself? Will she be forever haunted by the shadow of all her beloved dead? It made me realize that grief can be a bottomless pit you may never find a way out of.
Also, Rowan, Rowan, Rowan, Rowan, how I love and adore Rowan Whitethorn.
The story becomes more intense and full of tension which kept messing with my nerves and my heart. I'm truly yet again in awe of how Sarah J Maas seamlessly managed to expand the world of Throne of Glass beyond what we had in the first two books. The world-building and the setting was lushly atmospheric and rich in details.
The action-sequences fired me up and had me on the edge of my seat.
Heir of Fire introduced us to three new characters that have joined the main cast:
• Rowan Whitethorn: A Fae Prince and one of the six elite warriors serving under Queen Maeve.
• Aedion Ashryver: A General in Adarlan's army and cousin to Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, the lost heir of Terrasen.
• Manon Blackbeak: An Ironteeth Witch and Heir of the Blackbeak Witch Clan
The book is divided into multiple POVS
of: Celaena, Chaol, Dorian, Manon and Rowan.
Each character gets the proper development needed to push the story further which shaped the events of what is yet to come in the future.
In Celaena's chapters, I loved seeing the development between her and Rowan; feeling the intense tension between them, then seeing that dislike mellowing and turning into admiration and then witnessing that growing friendship between them turn into something much more precious, a bond sealed by the words "To Whatever End".
Through Manon Blackbeak's chapters, we are introduced to the Witch-clans of The Waste. There are three main Ironteeth Witch clans: The Blackbeaks, The Yellowlegs and The Bluebloods. The Ironteeth Witches are offered to choose Wyverns to fly into battle and become part of King Adarlan's new Aerial Legion. Manon chooses a bait wyvern and names him Abraxos, after the ancient serpent who held the world between his coils at the behest of the Three-Faced Goddess..
Chaol and Dorian's chapters give insight to the events occurring in Adarlan and the secrets that are uncovered especially the ones concerning Aelin. Dorian begins to learn more of his magic while Chaol must do what needs to be done in order to protect Dorian and his Kingdom. Also, a new romance sparks for Dorian with his healer Sorcha who helped attend to his, Chaol and Celaena's wounds for months.
I also loved the secondary characters that were present in the book: Emrys, Luca, Malakai, Asterin and the brief appearance of Rowan's Cadre.
To me, Heir of Fire was a healing book and an adventure that took me to different places at the same time. I felt the consuming rush of adrenaline through most of it, I felt the hollowness of the scenes that dealt with grief, and heart fluttered and tingled during the heartwarming scenes.
I think all this points out to why I love this book the most out of all the other 7 books in the series. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love the entire series but this book for holds a very special place in my heart.
January 26, 2015
4.5 bloody, beautiful stars
The adrenaline, the heartbreak, and the sweeping epicness of this story just slay me. What the hell am I supposed to do now? *weeps piteously*
Also, I imagine Manon smiling calmly as she rips out your heart. :D
The adrenaline, the heartbreak, and the sweeping epicness of this story just slay me. What the hell am I supposed to do now? *weeps piteously*
Also, I imagine Manon smiling calmly as she rips out your heart. :D
April 6, 2022
lol @ past me... it definitely took me 3 months to read this book this time
_________
oct 2018
It took me 4 months to read Crown of Midnight, and 4 days to read this one.
So for me, this book was a MAJOR improvement. And I think... I might have liked it?
Here's what worked for me:
- major character development for Celaena, we finally get glimpses of actual emotion & not bullshit facade... I didn't want to punch her THAT much
- Dorian is getting a personality!!!
- Aedion, man of my dreams
- MANON YOU ARE THE BITCH WITCH OF MY HEART
- the plot was PLOT, like it actually moved and had depth and shit???
- and of course... ROWAN
Rowan, you sweet tortured baby, you deserve your own paragraph. I loved Rowan and I especially loved how he treated Celaena. Frankly, she kind of deserved to be treated like shit for a little bit. I liked that he was standoffish and that he has some backstory of his own. Inevitably, I compared him to Rhysand in my mind and that initially made Rowan fall kind of flat... but once I pushed that away I REALLY appreciated this sweet boi for what he is. Which is: perfect for Celaena.
And I think that's really where Maas succeeds. She creates beautifully flawed (and yes sometimes annoying) characters that interact SO WELL with each other. I live for the ships in her books because flaws are complemented, strong suits are contrasted, and in general I wait with bated breath for the characters to get it on. So clearly she's doing something right.
This was great & I'm VERY excited for the rest of the series.
Also I didn't forget Chaol, I just hate him.
_________
oct 2018
It took me 4 months to read Crown of Midnight, and 4 days to read this one.
So for me, this book was a MAJOR improvement. And I think... I might have liked it?
Here's what worked for me:
- major character development for Celaena, we finally get glimpses of actual emotion & not bullshit facade... I didn't want to punch her THAT much
- Dorian is getting a personality!!!
- Aedion, man of my dreams
- MANON YOU ARE THE BITCH WITCH OF MY HEART
- the plot was PLOT, like it actually moved and had depth and shit???
- and of course... ROWAN
Rowan, you sweet tortured baby, you deserve your own paragraph. I loved Rowan and I especially loved how he treated Celaena. Frankly, she kind of deserved to be treated like shit for a little bit. I liked that he was standoffish and that he has some backstory of his own. Inevitably, I compared him to Rhysand in my mind and that initially made Rowan fall kind of flat... but once I pushed that away I REALLY appreciated this sweet boi for what he is. Which is: perfect for Celaena.
And I think that's really where Maas succeeds. She creates beautifully flawed (and yes sometimes annoying) characters that interact SO WELL with each other. I live for the ships in her books because flaws are complemented, strong suits are contrasted, and in general I wait with bated breath for the characters to get it on. So clearly she's doing something right.
This was great & I'm VERY excited for the rest of the series.
Also I didn't forget Chaol, I just hate him.
January 4, 2018
3 - 3.5 Stars
Maybe I will review this later, maybe I won’t...
Regardless. The most important thing you need to know about my totally non important thoughts on this book is this:
Helloooooooo Rowan.
Hubba hubba.
Other than that, some parts moved like a ship through mud; but in the end, I really loved seeing our protagonist come into her own here. I live for special powers, yo.
But really...
Hubba hubba, ROWAN.
Maybe I will review this later, maybe I won’t...
Regardless. The most important thing you need to know about my totally non important thoughts on this book is this:
Helloooooooo Rowan.
Hubba hubba.
Other than that, some parts moved like a ship through mud; but in the end, I really loved seeing our protagonist come into her own here. I live for special powers, yo.
But really...
Hubba hubba, ROWAN.
June 9, 2023
This was everything.
October 28, 2021
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In case you missed it, I recently read this fantasy romance from the 80s called SUMMER OF THE UNICORN. It was from Kay Hooper's backlist (she only writes romantic suspense now), and I probably never would have discovered it if it hadn't recently been rereleased for Kindle and Netgalley hadn't subsequently approved me for the ARC. The book was so trashy and so bad, like, picture the worst science fiction book you've ever read from the 70s (probably written by Robert Heinlein, probably TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE), only with a whole cartload of wtf, unicorns, and sexy bathing scenes thrown in for lols, and that's SUMMER OF THE UNICORN. It was, objectively, not a good book, and yet despite my better sense, I enjoyed it, being the trash queen I am, because if a book is so bad it entertains me, I give that spit a good rating, even if I take the mickey out of it in my review.
I've been working my way through Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series over the last few months, and my thoughts on the series kind of mirror my thoughts about SUMMER OF THE UNICORN. I don't understand the purpose of the book, because presumably it was written in a good faith attempt to be a serious fantasy novel, but on the other hand, it also has a whole cartload of wtf, unicorns, and sexy bathing scenes (except with the ToG series, replace "unicorns" with "dragons" and "sexy bathing" with "sexy biting"). This is, objectively, not a good book, and yet I had such a good time making fun of it that I find myself becoming slightly fond of the series. It's like hating a dog that drools and pees everywhere but desperately wants to be your friend. That dog is annoying. That dog's mess is all over the place. But that dog also really, really wants you to like it. It's hard to hate that dog.
***WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AND SNARK AHEAD***
I think Throne of Glass's biggest problem is that it is gloriously uneven in terms of quality. There are parts of the book that are good, and then there are parts of the book that have me skimming like nobody's business. Durian's relationship with Fanta? Don't care. Raisin beating up Celery, over and over and over, until I wonder if I should be playing Tom Lehrer's Masochism Tango in the background? Don't care. Kale feels so bad about betraying Celery's feels? Don't care. Celery whining over and over about how she contributed to Queen Bae's death? Don't care. (Also, eff you, Celery. Your "I want to read books and sit on my butt eating cake in between having sex with Kale" was what led to that whole situation in the first place. It's just yet another episode of PoCs Dying to Make White People Give a F*ck, and that spit's so old that at this point, it's all reruns. Give it a rest.)
On the other hand, this book also had some redeeming factors that were not present in the first book. I actually like Onion Ass-river. Mutton Blackberry isn't too bad either. I'm 99.9% sure that somewhere in that girl's room is a shrine to Daenerys Targaryen filled with hair and toenail clippings and she probably stands in front of it while practicing shouting "WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS?" But honestly, I really liked her relationship with Drogon - oops, I mean, Abraxos. He was cool. I kind of pictured him as looking like Toothless, from How to Train Your Dragon - a movie, incidentally, that Mutton really should watch, because this is something that she really sucks at.
I think the worst thing about this series is the heroine, Celery, AKA Addledstar Galactica. My feelings towards her have been evolving across the series steadily. In THRONE OF GLASS, I wanted to slap her. In CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, I wanted to slap her and maybe push her off a cliff. In HEIR OF FIRE, I wanted to push her off a cliff into a lake filled with a celery-eating Kraken. She is sooo annoying, and honestly, there is only so much you can read about how perfect a character is before you start to picture some RP-er being all, THIS IS MY ORIGINAL CHARACTER, YOU GUYS. SHE HAS RAINBOW HAIR AND SIX DIFFERENT KINDS OF MAGIC POWERS. If you thought that Miss Assassin was **SUPER SPESHUL** in the last two books, just wait until you get to this book, where you find out that she isn't just a queen, she also has a magical fairy form, and two different kinds of magic powers, which leave just about everyone who witnesses them in ~awe~.
Also, Maas isn't content with the Kale/Celery/Durian love triangle in the last two books, plus the maybe Finnick O'Dair knock-off. No, in this book she has two more dudes fighting after her magical ladyparts - enter Rowan, who I'm pretty sure is knockoff Rhysand from the ACOTAR series (he even has magical fairy tattoos), and Onion Ass-river, who was Celery's childhood BFF. The Raisin/Celery ship is totally forced down the readers' throats in this book, and I'm just like, OKAY, what was the point of Kale and Durian at all in the first 2 then, if you're just going to make up new love interests when you get bored of them? Is Celery going to dump Raisin in the very last book of the series for some even more depraved, hotter dude with even better magical powers? Is she going to - *gasp* - date God Himself, because only He in all his glorious gloriousness is worthy of the holy sunlight that beams from the sanctity of her nether regions? I do wonder, because this spit is ridic.
Also, also, what's with that line about not being able to hurt your soulmate? Celery reasons that this is why Kale and she are not to be - because she scratched his face up in the last book. BUT WAIT- didn't Raisin do the exact thing to you - MANY MANY TIMES? He bloodied your face and bruised your eye, and made you fight creatures so evil that you LITERALLY peed your pants in front of him. And then at the end of this book, suddenly you're soulmates? I'm SORRY, but by your logic, this relationship you have should be the opposite of soulmates, because HE HURT YOU BAD. #NotCool
Then we have Onion.
I actually liked Onion's character, but the problem I have with him is endemic in the overarching themes of the book itself. I joked at first about the sexual tension between him and Kale, but by the end of the book, I was like, no, wait, there is actual tension here. It's like how Kale felt with Celery before, you know, she beat him up and ran off to be with someone who beats her up (ugh). Onion and Kale had actual great chemistry - the same way Celery had great chemistry with Queen Bae. I'd seen others complain about the queerbaiting in this series, but HONESTLY, it feels legit. You have all these characters who seem like they'd be LGBT+ and have these potentially awesome ships with same-sex characters, ONLY to have SJM be like, "Naaahh," and push them into cis-het relationships with characters who they previously had ZERO chemistry with in the previous books.
Take Durian's relationship with Sorscha. WHERE THE HECK DID THAT COME FROM? Out of nowhere, that's where! Last I heard, he was mooning over Celery, but now he's just consorting with the servants - and then he decides, ALSO OUT OF NOWHERE, that he loves the servant to the point that he'd offer ~anything~?? Um, wait? Also, he legit says "I love you" to Kale and there's that sexual tension, which makes me feel like Kale might possibly be bi, but I BET YOU THAT THIS IS NEVER ADDRESSED, and that Kale ends up in a cis-het relationship with some rando who SJM just arbitrarily decides he's **meant** to be with in one of the later books.
You also can't convince me that Queen Bae and Celery weren't OTP OTP, because in my mind, they totally were. The way Celery feels about Nehemia in this book is less like a dead friend and more like a lover who must be avenged. Not only was her death totally pointless, but I also felt like her relationship with Celery wasn't fully explored. The bond they had totally trumped anything Celery had with Kale, Durian, or her precious, precious Raisin; it was healthy, pure, and built on love.
On non-relationship-related notes, I feel like there was way too much random wandering around, and too much time spent on Celery and how great she is. Her priorities continue to be way screwed up. One of her crowning moments in this book is that, while imprisoned, she once more agonizes over her figure and WHILE IMPRISONED, plays around with tying her sash so as to emphasize her assets and breastets. Also, ONCE AGAIN, people die to to Celery's incompetence (this time thousands instead of, you know, just the one) and she is like OMG it's all my fault! NAH, YOU THINK???
I can tell that this is going the Girl of Fire route from THG, and Celery is going to be the figurehead for some grand revolution, but I don't like Celery nearly as much as I like Katniss. She feels way too manufactured and perfect, and apart from weeing in her trousers that one time from fear, we really don't get many human-like responses to things. She grandstands a lot and tosses off a lot of quotes that people seem to really enjoy quoting on Goodreads about how she's going to "rattle the stars", but she doesn't strike me personally as being particularly realistic or relatable. She's a Barbie in armor with magical powers, and that's hardly a 'strong female protagonist.' Particularly when stuck in an abusive relationship with some jerk who likes to tattoo all his mistakes in life on his arm. #lame
All that said, I do think this is an improvement over the two previous books, even if it gives off "I desperately want to be the next Game of Thrones vibes." The writing is better, and the parts of the book that don't involve Celery were interesting. It's Celery herself who really poisons this series and makes me want to take my Snark to Warp 5. She's just such an idiot and everyone's thoughts revolve around her, and I can't help but think of that quote from 10 Things I Hate About You where she's concerned, where Patrick asks, "What is it with this chick? She have beer-flavored nipples?"
I'll read the next book because I'm invested now, and I hear book 5 is a raging fustercluck of wtf that dissolves into bodice-ripper territory (and you know HOW MUCH I LOVE THOSE). Who knows? Maybe I'll actually love it. I hear copious amounts of smut are involved, and I am the Mother of Smut (the Unrepentant, Breaker of Convention, etc. etc.). WE SHALL SEE~
As always, you can credit this review to my friends who enjoy "encouraging" me to read books they think I'll hate, and also to the people who come onto my reviews thinking it's OK to tell me to STFU, because ha ha joke's on you, that only makes me want to post MOAR reviews. For the record, if you, or one of your friends, take issue with the way I review books, feel free to reach me at 1-800-GIRL-BYE.
Peace out, friends.
2 to 2.5 stars
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