Contrary to popular opinion, I did not think this book (or series) merited five stars… please don’t yell at me. I think this is a really fun series, and I always enjoy reading it, but I didn’t like it nearly as much as some other titles within the same genre (with the sole exception of Assassin’s Blade, the compilation of prequel novellas to this series – that was amazing). While I like Celaena and think she is a really interesting character, I don’t find a single thing about her relatable. I also think a lot of the decisions she makes don’t follow a logical thought process. I could say the same thing about the storyline. While I really like where it’s going, there were a couple of things leading up to this point that felt forced and inconsistent, especially regarding character. All of that said, I still enjoyed Heir of Fire – especially the villain POVs and the creative bits involving dragons… I’m looking forward to seeing where it’s headed. Overall, If by some chance you haven’t read it yet (but would like to), I would definitely recommend it, but only after you’ve read some of my other favorites…

My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I'm very late to this party. I liked the first book, though there was some inkling I wouldn't like the rest, and then I DNF'd the second book and this one too.

To be fair, it might just be me at this moment in time right now, but if the reader is sitting with the book and re-writing it to be "better" in their head, then it's probably not the right book for that reader. That was this series for me.

However, I do understand that this series is HUGELY popular and we can't keep it on our shelves at the store, so I am not ignorant of the love that this series holds, it just doesn't have my love. Which judging by the sales, it doesn't need. : )

Not a series I am crazy about, but not one I will steer readers away from. 2, I now understand why people write fan-fiction, stars.

When I first started this book, I was in love with this series. Unfortunately, this was also the book that I got stuck on and the reason I never finished the series. The plot was interesting and engrossing, but there were too many POVs and several that I either flat out didn’t care for and wanted to skip and some where the voice felt like it blurred together. Unfortunately, I never ended up finishing the whole book. I may want to revisit this series in the future when I’m trying to get back into reading fantasy, but I was disappointed in this one.

This is such a popular series among young adults at the library, and I've heard from so many people that this book is where the series really took off for them and made them fall in love. I read and enjoyed the first two books, but this third one just didn't do it for me like I had hoped. I got tired of it. The pace was slower and I've decided I am no longer interested in continuing the series. I'll never stop recommending them to young people, though, as well as adults. I think the series is great for both age groups.

Wow, I was not emotionally prepared for this book. I actually tried to read it a year ago, and just could not get back into the story. Needless to say, I'm so glad I went back to it!
And <3 Rowan.

Oh Sarah J. Maas, what have you done to me? Heir of Fire has ruined me for all books in the near future. This series just continues to amaze and impress me. Heir of Fire takes things up another level for the Throne of Glass series and to be completely honest, I wasn’t even sure that was possible.

I don’t want to spoil things for anyone so if you haven’t read Crown of Midnight, stop reading. Seriously, go away now. I will not be held responsible for any spoilers you might see in this review.

A few people finally know who Celaena really is. Not many, and not all the key players, but some. However, just because people finally know her identity as Aelin doesn’t mean she’s any closer to accepting it or the responsibilities that come with it. In fact, she may be even farther away from accepting those responsibilities than she was before. Being sent to Wendlyn to find out about the Wyrdkeys and learn to control her magic has pushed her over the edge. Memories from her past are surfacing, some that she’d rather not remember. In Heir of Fire she is really forced to take a look at her past and figure out what everything means for her future. Controlling her magic is only the first step in the process of defeating the king.

I have loved Aelin from the start, even when she was being selfish and spoiled. I didn’t like that about her but I came to accept it and saw that she could be that way even while being a badass assassin who took shit from no one. In Heir of Fire I came to love her even more. She is nowhere near the same person she was when her journey began. She’s faced losses that would cripple some people and she’s come out the other side with a very different outlook on life and her goals. She’s still very much focused on how things will end for her but she’s learning to branch out to include some other people. She is a very caring person no matter what front she puts on for people. Even if she’s not sure she wants to accept the responsibilities of a queen, she knows that she wants to help her people. I appreciated that about her.

A lot of new characters were introduced in Heir of Fire and I’m not sure who I loved the most. I will say that I didn’t care all that much for Sorscha but I think that’s because I didn’t know a lot about her. Her story didn’t seem very fleshed out to me. I wanted to know more about her background and why she did what she did. Hers was the only story like that though. Aedion, Rowan, Manon, Maeve and even some of the more minor characters had such depth to them. I admit that I didn’t really like many of the new characters at first but most of them grew on me. Aedion was Aelin’s cousin and after the downfall of their kingdom, he did whatever it took to keep his people safe. Sure he was kind of a little shit but I came to understand his actions. Rowan was pretty damn harsh to Aelin but his history was very complicated and he saw her as nothing but a young, spoiled girl who hadn’t had to fight for anything in life. Their relationship was twisted from start to finish but I loved it. Not sure he’s someone I want with Aelin but I could see how it might work between them. As for Manon, she’s a hard nut to crack. I don’t know if she’s evil or not. The witches roles in things are going to be very interesting.

I just want to briefly mention Chaol and Dorian because I can’t possibly not mention them. Chaol really bugged me this time around. In Crown of Midnight I saw how he felt about certain aspects of Aelin’s life but you really get to know his feelings in Heir of Fire. I’ll have to see how things play out with him and Aelin in the next book because if he doesn’t switch things up soon, I’m not going to like him anymore. As for Dorian, that poor boy has too much stuff to deal with. My heart broke for him so many times and I don’t know how I’m going to take things in the next book if something doesn’t change in his situation.

The story is lengthy and twisted and totally nothing I ever saw coming. The thing I appreciated most about Heir of Fire was the amount of history woven into things. Sarah J. Maas doesn’t just dump information on you, she manages to weave it all into the current storylines so it makes complete sense. I would have felt so lost if I hadn’t learned some info about the witches, the fae, and the Wyrdkeys. That was one of the things I felt so clueless about in Crown of Midnight so I appreciated that things were finally explained some more. Also, while a lot of things are explained in Heir of Fire, a lot of new things are introduced that left me with tons of questions. I can see how this series is going to be six books. There is just too much going on to condense these.

Overall, Heir of Fire is the best of the series, by far. Sarah J. Maas has cemented her place on my list of favorite authors. I cannot wait to continue this series.

I have...many thoughts about this book, but it's hard to separate them from what I know happens in Queen of Shadows (since I totally read spoilers). But I'm going to try to separate that from this book.

I'll try to be as non-spoilery as possible.

Pacing
I'm really torn on how I feel about this book, because my first instinct is to say that it was SO SLOW! For a good third of the book, I was bored to tears. I pushed my way through. And it wasn't even the first third of the book; it was like if you took all the boring parts spread out throughout the book and put them together, it would be a third - or maybe a half, I don't know.

On the other hand, there were some bits that were really interesting, and I flew through those pages. Sadly, those parts were always followed by chapters that felt like they didn't even matter.

Summary: The pacing is all over the place, and you're going to have to ignore that to enjoy the book.


Plot
Is there one? Honestly, I thought this was the weakest part of the book. Heir of Fire has "The Empire Strikes Back Syndrome" - i.e. there are a lot of training scenes that are [maybe] necessary but totally boring.

Chaol and Aedion's plot was so boring, I found myself skimming their chapters. It could have been summed up in like 5 pages. I know Manon becomes more important in QoS, but she's pointless here, and her chapters are MORE training scenes. Poor Dorian is in so little of the book, I wanted to cry; he's the only character to ever provide levity, and his plot is almost nonexistent until the end.

If you outlined this book, it would take up like half a page. Seriously.

Characters
At this point, you're wondering why I gave this book 3 stars instead of 1. Well, dadgum it, Sarah, you totally got me with these characters. I even teared up a little bit TWICE.

Okay, negatives first: Chaol is being whiney. *dodges flying projectiles from Chaol lovers* I know, I know - he's in a terrible place, mentally and emotionally. I loved him in books 1 and 2, but he's really boring in this one. I don't fault him for being wary of magic; I mean, look at his upbringing. The fact that he still supports Dorian, despite his best friend having magic, is a testament to his loyalty. I also can't blame him for wanting things to go back to how they were; he's the kind of person that doesn't do well with change. A lot of us are that way. That being said, he's still boring, and I wish Sarah had done more with his character. (view spoiler)

I also don't get the big deal with Aedion. He's also boring. His bond to Aelin is almost like...supernatural or something, and it's kinda weird. I care about him absolutely not at all at this point.

As I already said, Manon is pointless. I know that whole plot is setting up for the next book, but I just didn't care. I'm hoping I'll find her more interesting in QoS.

Now, positives: DORIAN! Gosh, I love him. (view spoiler) Him and Sorcha are adorable, and that ending was awful. (IT HURTS, SARAH! IT HURTS!)

I loved Aelin in this one. Her journey seriously made me tear up multiple times. While the plot with her and Rowan wasn't that interesting, her character arc in this was so great. SO MANY FEELS! I loved that flashbacks to her as a child and everything that happened with the "princes." I also loved seeing her (view spoiler). Her story was the heart of HoF, and it was what kept me reading.

I also really enjoyed Rowan. I mean, he's no Dorian, but I like him. He's the most cliche of Sarah's characters so far, I think, but his bond with Aelin is so strong - I loved that. I also see them as a future romantic pairing; I mean, they make the most sense, and honestly, I think their relationship has the most balance out of any of them.

In Summary
I didn't love this, but I definitely enjoyed it. I can appreciate how much Sarah puts into her books, juggling all these characters. I also appreciate that the worldbuilding has expanded, and I'm impressed that she can introduce new characters and make readers care about them (like Rowan and Sorcha).

While I still think Crown of Midnight is my favorite so far, I think this one tugged on my heartstrings the most, with Aelin's personal journey of acceptance.

I suspect that, when I read QoS, it won't be difficult for me to get onboard with Rowan/Aelin. I already half-ship them now, if only because they're the most practical relationship. And while I loved Chaol in the past, he's hard to keep liking already - which seems to be Sarah's conscious choice.

And really, I just hope I actually care about Aedion and Manon in the next book. They're so dull right now. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to like you just because you can kill a dozen people in 2 seconds. You've gotta give me more.

I really struggled with this one. I was so excited to continue this story but when it kicked into high fantasy in the middle it kind of lost me. Everyone says I need to give it another chance so now that I am prepared for the story to change so much, maybe I will.

I am a big fan of Sarah J. Maas. That being said, sometimes when you love an author and their series, it's hard for the next installement to live up to your expectations. No worries here, Maas pulls it off effortlessly. This installement is just as good as the others.

If you've read the others in the series you don't want to miss this one.

I read this. I LOVED this. I never reviewed it. I was hoping to go back and re-read the first book and review it in a new mindset. I'm hoping to do a full series review next year when the final book releases!

I really enjoyed this one! It was a fun, gripping read.