Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3) by Sarah J. Maas
YA, High Fantasy, Dark Fantasy
E book, 565 pages
September 2, 2014
Bloombury USA/Children
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”
Assassin and King’s Champion Celaena Sardothien’s famed control has shattered and she now suffers from the fall out. Sent to Wendlyn by the King she is bound to serve, she must fulfill her mission if she is to keep her friends safe. Unable to summon the energy to care about anything after the death of her friend, she is paying a penance of her own making. Her life remains in limbo until she is approached and given the means towards her revenge.
Fae warrior Rowen Whitehorn has been tasked by his Queen to prepare Celaena for her destiny that is beginning to unfold. Brutal and unforgiving training breaks through the walls Celaena erected when her family died and the answers she has been seeking are suddenly there for the taking. As the memories of the past flood Celaena’s consciousness, her buried magic erupts and suddenly Celaena knows the only hope of defeating King Adarlan and setting the world to rights lays inside of her.
Heir of Fire is the third book in Sarah J. Maas’s epic fantasy series-Throne Of Glass-and in its reveal opens up new storylines while further expanding the ongoing arc. Loosely set up along the same lines as George R.R. Martin’s Game of Throne series, Maas enchants and horrifies readers with her nail-biting suspense, delicious betrayal, and dangerous antagonists. Continuous world building, multi layered characters, and complex story lines gives readers mytho based storyline driven almost entirely by its characters. Maas’s voice is outstanding with it’s added maturity, leaving all but the faintest trace of YA that the series had in the beginning.
Heavy character growth is where the book truly shined for me. We are shown that sometimes we must lose it all in order to move forward. Relationships are made and written with the intricacy of a family tree; setting the arc on new paths of awareness and discovery. Smooth writing, fast pacing, incredibly action scenes, and descriptive detailing draws you in. I continue to be pleased by the time and effort Maas takes in developing her characters and their connections to the world and each other.
Celaena, our heroine, has hit rock bottom. Everything she believed in is brought into question and in some aspects, judged. She must acknowledge all her pain, grief, sorrow, self-pity, and fear if she is to survive what is coming. Her past is finally revealed and now Celaena must drag herself up and evolve into what she was always meant to be.
“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?”
Celaena has help in her resurrection from Rowen Whitehorn-fae prince and warrior. His Queen is convinced Celaena holds the answers to the Wyrdkeys and their destruction. Only he can prepare her for the trials and tribulations she must face on her quest and though unsure of her in the beginning, Celaena’s strength and tenaciousness soon win him over. Rowen is Celaena’s mirror image. Strong, ruthless, snarly, protective, and loyal to a fault. Rowen proves to be a true friend to Celaena in that he recognizes and accepts her for what she is and has her back no matter what.
“I claim you, Rowan Whitethorn. I don’t care what you say and how much you protest. I claim you as my friend.”
“Their hands clasped between them, he whispered into her ear ‘I claim you, too…”
Multiple points of views and location jumps keeps readers in the know as we are able to simultaneously keep track of everything happening in the different kingdoms and how issues are being dealt with. Everyone has an agenda and nothing is set in stone. War is coming and Maas switches up her writing, focusing less on the overall conflict and more on the individual paths that each key player is forced to take. Trust is gained and lost. Secrets are revealed and betrayals made public. New allies and enemies are brought into play while familiar faces are faced with personal choices. Choices that could place friends and lovers on opposite sides of the battle that is coming.
The two of them together, both of them lethal, working to build an army, ignite their people… He was afraid of what they would do to his kingdom.”
Romance pretty much comes to a standstill in here as right now nobody has anytime for romantic entanglements. That’s not to say no love is seen in here. Love of family and friends is a strong theme that underscores the story. Almost every decision made in here is out of love for someone or something though the consequences of some of those decisions are long-lasting and potentially devastating.
“…you and I are going to learn how to fly. And then we’ll stain this kingdom red.”
Heir of Fire is a phenomenal read that blows it all out of the water. A game changer that takes everything we thought we knew and tells us in a brutal no nonsense fashion how very wrong we were. It’s the catalyst that rips away the artifice and lies leaving us with the truth-no matter how ugly or distasteful it is to see. The darker atmosphere gives credence to it’s seriousness. A whirlwind adventure of indefinite proportions, Maas has created a fantastical world that will definitely stay on many fantasy readers best read lists for years to come.
RATING: A
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Awesome review! I’ve been looking forward to this book. I’m glad to hear it met high expectations.
I loved it to death. Maas really brought her A game to this installment. Come back and tell me what you think once you’ve read.