Heir of Fire is the third book of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series. Celaena is now in a new land and without her friends. To uncover the answers she needs she must train with Fae warrior Rowan and obtain his approval to meet with Fae Queen Maeve. However, the King of Adarlan has other priorities that come crashing in around Celaena as she trains and tries to learn about her past.

The Lovely: The characters. As with the first and second book, I still find the best thing to be the characters and their relationships with each other. Celaena continues to develop and Rowan was a well-rounded character (at least once you got past the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the book.

The Mundane: The tension just wasn’t there. Normally a book this length I would be done with in 2 days, this took me 4 days. Given this book was only the third in the series, we knew Celaena would survive and get what she wanted. This made some of the scenes just not as exciting as they should have been.

The Dreadful: This book three basically feels like a re-hash of book one. Celaena again has to train (and perform) to prove herself to get what she wants. And again she’s being trained by a guy who has power over her, and is a love interest. This made the book boring and formulaic.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Recommendation: While you can’t exactly skip this book (because future events build on what was learned), it’s not a thrilling read. There were parts of it I liked and I did come to like the relationship between Celaena and Rowan, I don’t think he’s an overly reliable (or stable) guy. Still shipping Chaol and Celaena. ( )

Heir of Fire
4 Stars

***Beware Minor Spoilers***

The series hits its stride in this installment. Told from several narrative perspectives, Heir of Fire builds on the plot threads established in the earlier books and moves on from there. The inclusion of four separate storylines makes the story arc more complex with the introduction of new characters alongside the development of existing ones.

Celaena embarks on a journey toward self-actualization and takes the first steps toward acknowledging her powers and her destiny. While these parts are at times overly detailed and slow down the reading pace, they are a necessary part of her ongoing characterization. Her relationship with Rowan is very compelling and it is clear that something deeper is brewing between them.

In contrast, the rift between Dorian and Chaol widens as each sets out on his own path. Dorian begins a new romantic relationship with potentially devastating consequences, and Chaol finds himself unwittingly involved in initiating the resistance movement against the King.

Although these plot points are engaging, it is actually the introduction Manon Blackbeak that is most absorbing. The history of the Crochan and Ironteeth Witches is fascinating and the descriptions of Manon's interactions with the various clans and the wyverns is one of the highlights of the book.

Overall, an excellent addition to the series and I am eager to find out what happens next. ( )

Some Light Spoilers

Things I liked: Backstory!! also, Manon
Things I was not a fan of: Dorian's love story; Chaol being mopey all the time
Things I look forward to: More!! Wyverns!! I love me some vicious witches

Maas is definitely an author who tends to struggle with set-up of stories, but once she gets going, she can do an awesome job. Though you can always tell which words are her favorite in each book (this one she loved the word deign and nonnegotiable) which got a little irritating, but overall this was a fun read. On to number 4! ( )

I can't help but adore this book...it made me cry...it made me feel nervous...it shocked me...thank you, Sarah for this wonderful adventure...off to Queen of Shadows! ( )

5 Reasons to Read This Book:

1. Celaena Sardothian is awesome.
2. After losing her best friend and because of that losing the man she loves and doubting all those she trusts, we just have to know what Celaena will do next.
3. Witches are scary. Especially these witches. It turns out so are the Fae.
4. We discover what all the mystery and secrecy is about. Wait, I feel like there is still something I don't know.
5. It seems liek good can never win. But is Celaena can bond and form new friendships and those she trusted prove trustworthy.... There is hope.

And again Sarah J. Maas has written an awesome book. ( )