Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3) ♦ Sarah J. Maas | Review

When I read Heir of Fire for the first time, back then in German, it almost pulled the rug out from under my feet. Sarah J. Maas totally captivated me with the inner and very emotional struggle of the main protagonist for herself. Okay, I’ll admit that I’m also intrigued by the new supporting/main character. Having read these emotions, this struggle with oneself, in the English original went a step deeper.



Heir of Fire ♦ Sarah J. Maas

Opinion

While Crown of Midnight ends with a cliffhanger, the third volume continues seamlessly.
Should she actually, officially, murder Wendlyn’s crown prince, at least that is her mission as the King’s champion, Celaena has completely different interests that she is pursuing. And her inner struggle begins right there on the very first pages of Heir of Fire.

She walked away without another word. With each step she took back to her room, that flickering light inside of her guttered.
And went out.

p. 276; Heir of Fire — Sarah J. Maas

What intrigued me about this part of the series is the overall package. The plot is so packed in these 565 pages with important information for the present of the story, but also about the past and what it could mean for the future of this magnificently depicted world. Maas not only manages to continue Celaena’s, or rather Aelin’s story, she also has a great way of letting new characters flow into the plot and as a reader you know immediately that they will still be of great importance. It’s just fun to delve deeper into the events with every page you turn.

While Aelin, with the help of Rowan, who is our first living Fae in the story, struggles with herself in Wendlyn to find her true purpose and true self, we keep returning to Erilea, to Adarlan. There, in Rifthold, we meet Aedion Ashryver, Aelin’s cousin, who pretends to be completely under the King’s thumb. Which of course is reminiscent of our main character, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Cousin—that had been his most beloved title. Cousin, kin, protector. Those were the secret names he harbored deep within, the names he whispered to himself when the northern wind was shrieking through the Staghorns.

p. 149; Heir of Fire — Sarah J. Maas

Meanwhile, a new breed of beings, the witches, are appearing around the corner with Manon Blackbeak. Although there was already a hint with Baba Yellowlegs in the previous volume, the story about Manon and her Thirteen really picks up speed again. What I really like here is that the witches can smell and taste the otherness of the King’s men. In addition to the witches, which again have different tribes, the Wyverns, huge winged monstrosities, also come into play.

And when she grabbed the dagger, its weight was lighter than she remembered, Rowan looked into her eyes, into the very core of her, and said, »Fireheart.«

p. 426; Heir of Fire — Sarah J. Maas

Conclusion

What didn’t my little reader’s heart suffer, in order to patch it all up again in the end and take a deep breath? This book was an emotional roller coaster ride.
With well-known and many wonderful new characters, we went on a spectacular journey. Ms. Maas, I tip my hat, and thank you for all these wonderful pages, piled up with so much feeling and passion for each individual character.
That’s why Heir of Fire will always be the best book in the Throne of Glass series for me.


This review was first published at The Art of Reading.

( )

1st read: December 2019
2nd read: January 2020
3rd read: September 2023

I was worried about reading this series again. I loved this book when I read it in 2019, but I've been so disappointed in Sarah J. Maas's most recent books that I wondered if I'd still like her older stuff.

Luckily, I still really liked it. Of course it's not perfect, but it's such a fun read. This book is where the series truly clicks with me. More characters, more character depth, more detailed world-building, better writing, etc. ( )

More difficult to follow than the previous books in this series as there are multiple stories being told. However, it all ties back together at the end. ( )

Me he leído un capítulo y la traducción es tan mala que me saca cada dos frases. Puedo leer literatura floja, pero no literatura mal escrita, resulta que ahí estaba mi línea roja.

I just want Chaol and Dorian to go away so I can read about Aelin and Manon ( )