Andreea Pop's Reviews > Heir of Fire

"Enemy. Lover.
Queen."

Heir of Fire is undoubtedly one of the best books I've ever read. It certainly will be my favorite book of the year. It is gloriously long and kept me occupied for an entire day (night hours included) making me crave to find out more, but also stop reading so that the book won't end just yet.

You think you know Celaena from reading the first two books, right? Oh, but you're so so wrong. In this book we see her more than broken, relentlessly blaming herself for the fates and deaths of her beloved ones. She takes down her every shield, leaving nothing behind to shed her emptiness threatening to shatter her from the inside out. I believe this was her turning point, the true crossroad in her life, making her see, accept and embrace all that pain, regret and self-loathing she carefully kept hidden inside her soul, etched into her dire and gruesome memories.

“You collect scars because you want proof that you are paying for whatever sins you've committed. And I know this because I've been doing the same damn thing for two hundred years. Tell me, do you think you will go to some blessed Afterworld, or do you expect a burning hell? You're hoping for hell--because how could you face them in the Afterworld?”



And gods, what memories and past. We are able to witness how she became Celaena Sardothien, how her life changed forever on that fateful night ten years ago. But by facing all that sorrow and darkness, she's making a stand. She's slowly becoming a queen, one more powerful and deadlier that you could ever imagine.

Her character development is phenomenal, because through her new experiences she is stronger, wiser and more determined. Her fierceness was awe-inspiring and I loved that she's still the same stubborn, snarky and brave young woman, maybe with her ego a little bruised. She's not proud of who she's become, abandoning her kingdom and not fighting for rebuilding it for the past ten years, but she's ready to throw herself into battle to win back her land. To say that she's badass would be an understatement.



Celaena makes the transition from assassin to queen with the help of Rowan, a Fae Prince and my favorite new addition to the series. Not that he is so eager to help, but in order to find answers about the Wyrdkeys and how to destroy them, she has to be worthy of entering Doranelle, the land where Queen Maeve awaits her to answer her questions. May I shout something? I LOVE ROWAN WHITETHORN. In the beginning, he's infuriatingly patient and stubborn, brooding and secretive. But when he opens up? And when he actually smiles?!? Laughs?? Scrap me off the floor cause I am hyperventilating.



“Gods, he was brilliant. Cunning and wicked and brilliant.
Even when he beat the hell out of her. Every. Damn. Day.”

He's an alpha-male in all his glory, with the kickass moves that would bring Celaena's to shame. He's scary and intense, protective and defying, caring, but lethal when it comes to his enemies. Rowan is the no-nonsense type and I was glad there is finally someone who doesn't put up with Celaena's bullshit. She throws a verbal punch? He throws one that will leave her with a black eye for the entire week. But they develop a friendship and something so important on the intimate level (not talking about romance) that it will warm your heart to realize that our girl finally has someone to fully rely on. No secrets, no barriers, no judging left between them. They would die for each other, kill for each other, fight for each other. And when they work together, as a pair, as a team, they're astounding and terrifying.



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

Dorian Havilliard is the same swoon-worthy, sentimental, humble (yet a bit arrogant as well) young prince. He will win your heart regardless of the "team" you're in, because in the end he stands up to his father in a glorious way that had me cheering for him. He is way more mature, weary of everyone and everything and you can see him becoming a true worthy king right before your eyes. A lot of heartbreak and despair was in store for him and I guarantee it will all leave you in a pile of overwhelming feels.



In addition to his wonderful character development, Dorian is moving on from Celaena. And I'm not sure I like who he's moving on with. Heck, I don't like that he's actually moving on. Makes the whole Dorian/Celaena shipping a bit harder. But truth be told now, as much as I was against his new lady Sorscha, I was glad he got a little happiness and support to fight his growing loneliness, worries and magic. And you want to know why? Because freaking Chaol Westfall pretty much abandoned his friend when he needed him the most.

Yeah, you read that right. Dedicated, loyal, selfless Chaol was so unable to make up his damn mind that I was uncounsciously pulling my hair. I was very much irritated with him until the very end when he came to his senses. In the aftermath of Crown of Midnight, his friendship with Dorian is left in shambles and things don't get prettier in this book. They grow estranged, but I'll give it to the captain that he has only the prince's safety and freedom in interest. But keeping secrets, judging, not being able to accept Celaena's and Dorian's powers -- all these things make me wonder if he has any shot left at our heroine's heart, because whereas Celaena would always pick him, Aelin would not.

“As for Celaena,” he said again, “ you do not have the right to wish she were not what she is. The only thing you have a right to do is decide whether you are her enemy or her friend.”



We meet awesome warrior Aedion Ashryver, Celaena's cousin and childhood best friend. He's all deadly smiles, muscles and wild behavior. Aedion is daring, clever and doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone but himself. Or so they say. But he's dead set on taking down the King of Adarlan from the inside. When he finds out Aelin is alive, he makes it clear that he would move mountains in order to see his true queen back in Terrasen. He's loyal, determined, skilled and I hope he reunites with Celaena sooner rather than later, because he is in a pretty bad place at the end of the book.

"A cry went up from the witches, save for the Thirteen—¬who stayed cool and quiet. They did not need to cheer, for they ¬were immortal and infinite and gloriously, wonderfully deadly.”



Another addition to the newbie characters is Manon Blackbeak, heir of the Blackbeak coven of the Ironteeth witches and leader of the Thirteen. The witches play a big role in the King's newest and darkest plans by being the riders of the wyverns he has created and Manon wants nothing more than to lead them into battle as Wing Leader. She wants to prove herself and although she is a bloodthirsty, wicked creature, I completely loved her. She's by no means a villain, just a different kind of heroine, firm and unyielding, with great ambition. Her encounters and silent dialogues with Abraxos cracked me up, because in that moments you could glimpse (besides the wyvern's total awesomeness) how Manon starts believing there's a chance she has a heart and soul and that her grandmother's rules might not be the best to follow.



“Witches didn't need blood to survive, but humans didn't need wine, either.”

The King of Adarlan is still the biggest bastard I've had the (dis)pleasure of reading. I loathe the guy with every fiber of my being. He is wicked to the core, manipulative and selfish to no end. No, not just selfish, but greedy. Greedy for everything and anything, exactly like a monster. And what he did at the end, to my poor baby Dorian, made me wish that once Celaena comes back -- because she will come back -- she won't kill him. Oh no, I want her to keep him locked in a basement, to visit him everyday and torture him until he breaks, only to do it all over again the next day, because killing him would be too much of a mercy for the deeds he has done.



The other secondary characters were very well developed: the Ironteeth witches, Ren Allsbrook, Emrys, Luca and Maeve -- they were a testimony to SJM's awesome writing skills. And I might add that for me the writing style was slightly different. Improved. Better. More realistic, if you wish. There was a certain ease with which she used words that enchanted you completely. Plus, the swearing. I don't mind it one bit, but am I the only one that noticed it appeared more often than in the first two books? Matured characters, matured world, matured language, I guess.



The atmosphere is darker and the pace is thrilling, allowing you to breath for a bit before another near-death encounter or epic battle starts. The world-building was another winner, as we were able to see Wendlyn, Doranelle, the Ferien Gap and Adarlan again. We learn about the past, we meet Queen Maeve (who's quite a manipulative bitch), we run from terrifying creatures and we accompany Celaena as she masters her powers.



There isn't so much romance in the air, besides Dorian's plotline, because it's the last thing in our character's mind. And honestly, I don't really know who Celaena is going to end up with. Chaol still has issues with her and Dorian is currently viewing her as his friend, but things could still drastically change since there are 3 more books. It seems that even Aedion, her cousin, might have a shot since he wouldn't deny anything his queen would ask of him. And then there's Rowan who I'm not sure will actually have a romantic involvement with Aelin, but it's worth hoping for -- they would be unstoppable.

“He would not apologize for today, or yesterday, or for any of it. And she would not ask him to, not now that she understood that in the weeks she had been looking at him it had been like gazing at a reflection. No wonder she had loathed him.”

In terms of plot, you could say it's action-driven, but I beg to differ: the character development plays a part as big as the twists and turns and fights. It sure keeps you at the edge of your seat, courtesy of Sarah J. Mass' amazing writing, and makes you shudder at some new evil creatures or at the violence, but I basically view Heir of Fire as Celaena's healing journey, one necessary to fully accept her legacy.



“So you’d save another land, but not yours. Why can’t your friend save her own kingdom?”
“Because she is dead!” She screamed the last word so loudly it burned in her throat. “Because she is dead, and I am left with my worthless life!”



The Throne of Glass series slowly becomes a younger version of Game of Thrones (with less deaths, but keep in mind that there are worse fates than death...) and I couldn't be happier. With the same complexity, a gut-wrenching intensity and an amazing world, Heir of Fire brings out the big guns: twists, emotional punches, tearjerkers and amazing characters, not to mention the wonderfully built world. It's definitely the best one from the series yet and a total game-changer, so don't be surprised if it will keep you enthralled from start to finish. Fantasy to its finest, a story with heroes and monsters, Fae and humans, life and death. Read it the second it hits shelves, cause you won't be disappointed (unless you're the type that can't stomach the idea of enduring another year for the next book and to whom I recommend waiting a bit longer, because there is one hell of a cliff-hanger).

If you're looking for anything ToG related then check out this Throne of Glass fansite.

ENJOY!<3