Heir of Fire | Sarah J. Maas

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy. 

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she grown to love? 

This book. A roller coster of emotions. But the best thing about this book wasn;t the intense plot not was it the beautiful worls built by Sarah J. Maas. No, the characters were what made this book. The development of each cahracter within this book was phenomenal. We saw sides and stories we didn't previously know and each one had some type of importance in the plot.

There are three more books in this series. THREE. I am so excited to get the rest. I need them. 

I'm now going to talk about everything within these glorious pages, so if you don't want to be spoiled, read the book and come back so we can talk about the beautifulness of this book together. 

Spoiler-Filled Review

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

My feelings towards Celaena took some drastic changes throughout this book. As soon as the book began, there was automatically a darker atmosphere around her and we began seeing this self-loathing side of her, a version of her so shattered and irreparable. No longer was she the sassy, confident bordering arrogant assassin we loved, but this broken queen who needed to reclaim her throne. 

Her entire journey throughout this book, from encountering Maeve and refusing her throne, to training and facing the demons who feast on fear and unhappiness, to finally accepting her position, was a story worth telling. Sarah J. Maas did a terrific job of weaving in Celaena's memories with the storyline and her past just makes me love her all the more. 

For some reason, what I can't get over is how they all knew each other as children. 

Celaena: "You can be my friend." 

Dorian: "Nah I already have one." 

*ten years later* 

Celaena: "I want you as my friend." 

Dorian: "Absolutely" 

I just saw such a parallel between these events, and ahh it was great. 

“I claim you, Rowan Whitethorn. I don't care what you say and how much you protest. I claim you as my friend.” 

I don't quite understand how some people ship her and Rowan. To me, their bond seem to run deeper than romantic love, analogous to the bond between parabatai in the Mortal Instruments. These are two characters who truly understand each other, and I don't think they need to be romantically involve to maintain this strong relationship they have. 

“You cannot pick and choose what parts of her to love.” 

While Celaena is busy honing her powers, we get glimpses of what lay within the castle. The treason that Chaol and Aedion are planning and Dorian's increasing control over his own power. 

While Aedion's devotion to his queen was commendable, from a familial perspective it could be construed as slightly creepy. He would refer to Celaena as "his queen" and would talk of her as though he planned to marry her, which is slightly incestuous since they are cousins. But I want to see their reunion, I need it in the next book. 

Three books later and guess who's still not part of Team Chaol. Yup. I can't buy into his act. The fact that his loyalties are split even the slightest makes me not trust him. I'm sure he's a great guy and whatnot, but with this war coming at us, people need to pick a side: the king or the rebels, and anyone still toeing the line between the two will be caught in the crossfire. While I personally don't prefer him with Celaena, I've accepted that it's going to happen. He's not going to die nor will he be cast out of the picture. He and Celaena are going to have their happily ever after. 

That being said, I'm still Team Dorian. Not so much Dorian and Celaena, but just Dorian as his own character. His magic gives him the potential to do big things with his future. 

How did you guys feel about Sorcsha? I've read a lot of posts about how people hated her and were glad she's dead, but I didn't feel that strongly against her. She did seem a bit random, but I think with enough character development, she would have made a formidable character. I think her death was a bit uncalled for though. She needed more time to grow and develop as a character before falling into the prince's arms. Though my theory is that her death is to Dorian what Nehemia's death was to Celaena, a wake up call to do something.

If there was any part of this book that I didn't love, it was the chapters dedicated to the Ironteenth witches. While on its own, it would have made an interesting story, there wasn't a distinct connection between those events and the rest of the book. I'm hoping the storylines intertwine in the next couple of books. 

Needless to say, I am veryyy excited about the rest of the series. The fact that I have to wait three years before all the books are out gives me anxiety. I need the books. Right. Now.