Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

Title: Heir of Fire

Author: Sarah J Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release Date: 11^th September 2014

Source: Bought

Rating: 5 out of 5

Description: Consumed by guilt and rage, Celaena can't bring herself to spill blood for the King of Adarlan. She must fight back... The Immortal Queen will help her destroy the king - for a price. But as Celaena battles with her darkest memories and her heart breaks for a love that could never last, can she fulfil the bargain and head the almighty court of Terrasen? And who will stand with her?

First and foremost The Throne of Glass series is Spectacular with a capital S. This series is one of those rare gems that ensnares every bit of your consciousness in its world and Heir of Fire is no exception. For Celaena and company the stakes are higher than ever and Sarah J Maas delivers a book that will make you cry, laugh and love. There is a maelstrom of emotions brewing in this book that will transport you to another place, taking you on an engrossing adventure. Heir of Fire is in short epic and empowering.

Heir of Fire is what I would call a crucible book or better yet it is a book of self-discovery.  Every character, especially Celaena are put through the ringer and are forced to decide what part they want to play. Heir of Fire challenges all of its characters to figure out who they are and where they want to go. Loyalties are tested, new allies emerge and everything changes. Picking up right after the events of Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire follows Celaens’s journey as begins to learn about her fae powers. The events of Crown of Midnight left Celaena broken and now she has to confront her past and reconcile it with the powerful women she has become. It’s not easy; rather it’s a messy struggle that takes her through darkness.  Back in Rifthold, Chaol and Dorian have to deal with Celaenas secret and secrets of their own. There is not a lot of outward action in this book, like the previous instalments. Much of the action in Heir of Fire is about the characters themselves figuring out where they are headed. All of their stories intertwine together and come to a head for an explosive climax that will set you reeling. It sets the stage for an explosive book 4. Which I would like immediately, if at all possible.

Heir of Fire shows us yet again another facet of Celaena and her friends.  Maas peels back another layer to revel another side to them.  What’s beautiful about Celaena is that she is beautifully flawed. She is not just one thing. She is an assassin. She is strong and fierce and beautiful. She’s stubborn and sometimes mean. She loves the finer things in life such music and clothes, but she is also a girl who has had to deal with a shit ton of bad. In this book she goes to a darker place. We get to find out a lot more about her past and her family. Her struggles make relatable and her ability to overcome her them make her empowering. 

We meet a host of new characters that enrich this story.  Maas gives you new heroes, villains and everyone in between that you want to champion, love or loathe. We meet Rowan who is a fae prince and his tumultuous relationship with Celaena is such a treat to watch unravel on the pages as find common ground and each other. He and Celaena are on similar paths and their story is wonderfully intertwined. I need more Rowan. Manon was also another favourite. She is a blackbeak witch and has been raised to be a murderer with no heart. But even with her dark heart her story about her thirteen and her wyvern Abraxos is fascinating. Her growing relationship with her wyvern changes how she perceives the world and her place in it. It helps that she’s a complete badass. I really want to see what happens when her and Celaena meet. It would be nothing short of explosive. Aedion was another fabulous character. His love and devotion to his nation and Celaena was something fierce and needs to be admired.

What I love about this story is all the layers. It’s part of the reason why Sarah J Mass is such a freaking talent. There are so many different pieces moving in sync to give you a massive adventure. All the pieces fit together smoothly and build to an epic climax, which will leave you wanting to build a time machine, if only to find out what happens next.   There is also not one point of view that felt boring or not needed. Whether you are reading Manon’s story or Chaol’s or Celaena’s , you feel drawn to their struggles and triumphs. You care about what happens to them.

Heir of Fire is a must read for everyone. One of my favourite books this year. Just go read it.