Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Posted September 11th, 2014 in book review / 18 comments

Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. MaasHeir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA on September 2, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 576
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Rating: four-stars

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.

At A Glance

I was quite bored for the first 60% of this book, then I fell in love again.

The Good

This is going to be a hard review. How can I justify 4 stars when I didn’t like the first half? Well, Maas must be that damn good. The second half pretty much took away most of the bad in the first part. It was exciting, it was emotional, it was EPIC!

This book made me want to cry so many times. Celaena was not in a good place. Everything was seeming hopeless, and nothing was getting better for her. To get the information she needed to fix all that was wrong with her world, she had learn how to harness and use her magic, which she hates. Her fae trainer, Rowan, only made matters worse. He pushes her buttons to no end and sometimes he goes to far. But it’s also Rowan who brings Celaena back from the brink of giving up. I will always see Celaena as a strong, determined character, but we see her wounds open wide in Heir of Fire. And that’s okay, everyone is entitled to a breakdown from time to time. Near the end, we see this new and improved Celaena who is soooo ready to kick some ass.

There were two new characters who I loved. Rowan, a fae prince and Celaena’s magic trainer, and Aedion, Celaena’s something from a long time ago. I can’t talk about Aedion because it would give too much away, but Rowan was the shit! You will hate him at first, but in the end, he is one of the best characters in the book. He is so no-nonsense and aggressive, but he has such a big heart and major loyalty. I wish Celaena would end up with him, honestly. Manon, who lead the witch portion of the story, was interesting too. I never knew witches had it so rough, but they relish their evil, violent life. Gotta respect their determination too. Manon’s story really kept things interesting.

The second half was so full of action, twists, turns, surprises, heartbreak, and triumphs and felt more excited with each page. Not a lot goes down in the first half, but the rest? OMG, I can’t believe I survived it! Shit is going down and you better be prepared. It’s going to be a bloodbath.

Side note: I thought this was the last book of the series, which made it really funny when I was getting to the end and stressing that nothing was getting resolved. lol. FYI, for slow people like me, this is NOT the last book of the series. More adventures to come.

The Bad

I was not a fan of the multiple POVs. Each chapter would switch between about 7 characters, when all I really wanted to hear from was Celaena. Chaol’s parts did not interest me at all. I have really lost my love for him.

But what it really comes down to is the first half is just plain boring. The pacing is waaaay too slow. I can’t believe a book this long could have so little happen for 60% of the book. Madness, I tell you! I put this book down many a time. At one point, I just wanted it to end so badly. I didn’t want to waste my time anymore.

The Snuggly

There is very little romance. Dorian finds a little piece of happiness with someone but…then something happens. I was effing shocked in that scene. Celaena finds this amazing friendship with Rowan, who, at first, was so horribly mean to Celaena it was hard for me to read sometimes. But they created this bond at the end that I simply fell in love with.

Final Thoughts

I am very happy I read this book in the end. Even though the first half was rubbish, the second half more than made up for it. The second half was 5 stars, but the first half was 2-3 stars. So 4 stars overall seems appropriate.  I can’t believe I have another long wait for the next book. Ugh. Very recommended.

Quotes

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

 

“Chaol kept his sword drawn. “I will not go to Anielle,” he growled. “And I will not serve you a moment longer. There is one true king in this room—­there always has been. And he is not sitting on that throne.”
Dorian stiffened.
But Chaol went on. “There is a queen in the north, and she has already beaten you once. She will beat you again. And again. Because what she represents, and what your son represents, is what you fear most: hope. You cannot steal it, no matter how many you rip from their homes and enslave. And you cannot break it, no matter how many you murder.”  

 

“You didn’t need a weapon at all when you were born one.”  

 

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

 

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

book review

, , , , , , , ,

Related Posts

18 Responses to “Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas”

  1. Ashley

    It sounds as if you liked this a bit more than I did! Awesome! I totally agree with you about the beginning. I think you liked the end a tad more than I did though and I’m a bit jealous. 😛

    I kind of lost my love for Chaol too. 🙁 I actually didn’t love him in the first book, then I fell in love with him in the second, and now this third book was a bit meh again. Booooring. I went back to liking Dorian lol.

    Great review! I’m so glad you liked it a bit more than me. I’m jelly.

    Reply

    • Jennifer Bielman

      I know, I was so sad when you didn’t like this one. I totally agreed with your for the first 60%.

      Ugh, Chaol has already been iffy to me but yeah, I started liking him in book two and that got ruined.

      Reply

  4. Braine Talk Supe

    I love Manon! I’ve been saying that everywhere but I really do! And Dorian’s lovelife… man! Give the guy a break! That last bit to me felt like the infamous Red Wedding! I can’t believe Maas actually did that?!

    Reply

  5. Jaclyn Canada

    When books have too many POVs, it really drives me crazy. I have this series on my to-read list. I was getting bummed at the beginning of your review. When books are too bad in the beginning, it’s very hard for me to push through. I’m so glad that you ended up loving the end though. It’s good to hear it saved it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply