ARC Review: Heir of Fire

Synopsis:

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?The bestselling series that has captured readers all over the world reaches new heights in this sequel to the New York Times best-selling Crown of Midnight. Packed with heart-pounding action, fierce new characters, and swoon-worthy romance, this third book will enthrall readers from start to finish.

If you’re a fan of the Throne of Glass series, you are going to lose your mind when you read Heir of Fire.

So much happens right from the start in Heir of Fire. Sarah J. Maas really pulls out the big guns, introducing new and awesome characters, giving explanations for long held questions, and giving us an even more bad-ass Celaena than we’ve previously seen.

There are three (four?) main storylines happening all the way through this book, and I cannot wait for the day that they all converge and we have one insane, epic battle. I honestly don’t even know who I’d root for, because Maas has made some unsavory characters narrators in Heir of Fire. And I LOVED it.

Heir of Fire is really all about our favorite characters deciding where they truly stand and what they are willing to do to achieve their goals, regardless of which side they’re on. Celaena works through some serious issues from her past, along with a new, ruthless fae companion, Dorian finds new love in a surprising place as he continues working to understand his magic, Chaol has to decide what side he’s on, and whether he will turn his back on his king, and Manon…Manon, our new Blackbeak witch friend has to decide what level of horrifying she’s going to be. Because she’s pretty scary. And awesome. And she rides a wyvern. Which looks something like a dragon:

These books are dark. There’s a lot of stuff in them that is pretty disturbing, and Heir of Fire is no exception. In fact, it’s probably the worst of the series so far. There’s a lot of violence, and some nightmarish monsters that Celaena encounters in Wendlyn that could scare the pants off anyone.

For the last one hundred pages or so, I was locked in shock and astonishment mode.

I could not believe some of the things Maas did near the end of the book. Book four is probably going to blow my mind again. I do hope we get a little more romance in the fourth, as there wasn’t much here (sorry everyone, Celaena is so busy working through her own issues that she doesn’t have time for romance). But aside from that, every one of my very lofty expectations were met. This book, in a word, is outrageously awesome.

Ok, that was two words. It’s so awesome you can’t even describe it in just one word.

Similar Books: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder