Heir of Fire

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas (2014)

heir of fire

YA/NA Fiction | Fantasy
Blurb:

“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien 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. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.”
–Goodreads

Book One: THRONE OF GLASS

pooled ink Review:

My stress level is as high as my thrill level and that’s to say THROUGH THE EFFING ROOF. I was sweating and hoping and wide-eyed from start to finish and I’m left on the edge of a cliff full of dark promises. I can only imagine what will happen next.

The story shifts seamlessly between several different POVs which only serves to keep us informed about events in multiple places at once and heighten the stakes at the same time. I strongly approve because it was epic. Maas’ writing brings such complex dimension and layers as we must be quick on our feet to remember who, what, where, when, and why across the continents because with each twist their fates are pulled closer and closer together into a war that will shatter the histories.

We follow the goings on in Rifthold mostly via Chaol and Dorian although we also are introduced to Aelin’s cousin, Aedion, who now serves the King of Adarlan as an infamous general in his army. I love that they’re not forgotten as Celaena attempts to find her footing across the sea, rather they become further embedded in preparing the realm for her royal return whether they intended to or not. Something I love about how Chaol’s character is written is its honesty. A person cannot simply choose to turn their back on everything bred into them with a snap of the fingers. Celaena’s truth, Dorian’s magic, it has shaken him. Loyalty and honor run deep in Chaol’s veins and so having to face a world with enemies and allies that dance in the gray is tearing him apart. Prejudices, dreams, fears, they all run together within his breaking heart while free-falling through this new reality because change is coming and, as Aedion insists, he will have to soon choose a side.

Of course we spend time in Wendlyn with Celaena, sent by the king to assassinate the royals there, but as expected a few challenges and opportunities get in the way. We finally finally get to revisit that one impressive flash of fae power she displayed in the last book as she’s ordered by Queen Maeve to train and hone her powers in exchange for information on the Wyrdkeys. Enter Rowan. Rowan, a mighty and very old fae warrior, fulfills his duty to train Celaena/Aelin without question but the teacher-student relationship is less than amicable to put it lightly (mmm…that’s a severe understatement lol). But through the grueling, humiliating, frustrating, and frightening process of learning how to embrace her fae heritage we get to go deeper and learn so much more about Aelin’s past and who she was, is, and might become. I loved learning more about magic and the fae so as fun as the espionage in Adarlan’s chapters were, these were my favorite. But we are also introduced to a third location/POV and that one is perhaps the most intriguing of all…

Witches. Ironteeth Witches to be precise. Remember that creepy old woman from the last book? Baba Yellowlegs? Well she was but a hint of the witches to come. We are presented with a POV from Manon Blackbeak, perhaps the fiercest, deadliest, and merciless witch of all the covens. She scares the hell out of me but I also can’t help but want to know more. Manon is called to The Ferian Gap in Adarlan near the Ruhnn Mountains for the first gathering of all the witch covens in maybe 500 years. The Blackbeaks, the Yellowlegs, and the Bluebloods. They’re all feral and terrifying but they present yet another fascinating element to this fantasy world. The Ironteeth Witches have, as their name implies, iron teeth that snap down and can tear out throats and they also have iron claws that can slide out to tear flesh like butter. And they do. That’s right, drinking blood is not off the table for them. Super terrifying like I said (but…also kinda cool). There is also a benevolent species of witch called the Crochan Witches but, well, that’s a whole messy history that we’ve only been getting glimpses of thus far.

Through Manon’s eyes we witness some of the monsters the King of Adarlan has been creating with darkness and for the witches he’s offered wyverns. Manon claims a mount she names Abraxos and I gotta be honest, despite these wyverns being as lethal and cunning and straight up scary as the witches I couldn’t help but want to picture Abraxos as Toothless from the movie How To Train Your Dragon haha. Regardless, I’m on the edge of my seat to know what will come of the witches when they rise to the king’s summons.

SO MUCH HAPPENS. I’m breathless. Breathless. There is so much to keep track of as everything moves with battle-like grace cleaving through betrayals, dodging past nightmares, and piercing through the hearts of any who wish to flee. Heir of Fire rises in a glorious symphony of magic both light and dark battling for the future of not just Adarlan but of the fractured earth. Terrasen’s return has long been prayed for and with each book we get closer to the dramatic entrance of Queen Aelin, risen from the ashes and come to avenge her kingdom. I can think of little else but to get my hands on the next installment of the Throne of Glass series to witness her return for myself.

Cheers.

Purchase Here: Heir of Fire