Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

87 reviews

geminisoul's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is the best book so far in the series. This book just dragged me in and was such a joy to read- even when I was sobbing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

dezramama's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Drug use, Slavery, Blood, Excrement, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Vomit

pkreads2024's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

"To Whatever End."

This book was amazing!

Celaena Sardothien aka Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. Embarks on her journey to Wendylnn her distant relatives to kill the king and his son. Minor Spoiler:

That quickly ends up not happeing;)

she is taken by a mysterious Fae individual named Rowan. To which she is to train with him in order to fulfill her part of a bargin with her wicked Fae aunt Meave.
While meanwhile Choal and Dorian, continue on without Celaena after the events of COM. We are introduced to some new characters and some of them have connections to Terrasen. Such as Alein's cousin Aedion, and at least two others.
While Dorian's part in the story is mostly in the castle, and introduces a new side charcter. That has been in the past books.
Also, Choal might be the most indecisive charcter EVER.
Then we are introduced to the witches of Blackbeak and the three other covans. Manon Blackbeak and her thirteen, and how they will impact the story. Minor spoiler:

with thier impact as witches and how they will be the kings aerial army through the weveryns.

Overall, lots of characters/ world building are added into this book, and LOTS of character growth expecilly with Alein. We get a lot of her past, and what happened prior before her ten years as Celaena Sardothien. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Stalking, and Alcohol

el2319's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse and Slavery

Minor: Toxic relationship

dragonaion's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

By the third book in most series, the story and it's characters begin to fall apart. A groove is lost and the story often falls of the rails. In the hero's journey, the hero simply continues to be amazing and fights another 'dragon' with ease. 
This is the third book of the series, but promises a beginning that I am dying to follow! This book is a hard read and many who have endured trauma will find themselves more in Celeana's shoes than they might ever want to admit. You will find her back at the beginning of the hero's journey, at her lowest and most defeated, rising from the ashes once more in a way so natural, you forgot this is a fantasy. Brace for impact, get lost in the words, and hold on tight for the ride to come! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Physical abuse, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Child abuse and Sexual content

coffiend's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Genocide, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and War

Several scenes of animal cruelty in detail towards

wyverns

, which are semi-domesticated and seem to have unique personalities. Related animal deaths, plus other wild animals, but those are mostly from hunting. Nothing bad happens to the dog.

helfire124's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

bookworm2991's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One additional element worth noting about Heir of Fire is its world-building and expanding mythology. Sarah J. Maas deepens the reader’s understanding of the series' world, introducing new magical systems, lore, and political dynamics. This expansion plays a crucial role in shaping the characters' journeys and challenges, as the stakes grow higher and the world becomes more complex.

The introduction of characters like Manon and the Ironteeth witches adds a fresh perspective to the story, shifting the focus from purely human conflicts to those involving different magical creatures with their own motivations and cultures. This allows the book to explore themes like power, identity, and destiny from multiple angles.

Another noteworthy aspect is the balance between personal growth and action. While much of the book is dedicated to character introspection and emotional depth, Maas skillfully weaves in thrilling action sequences, battles, and plot twists that keep the pace engaging and tension high.

In summary, Heir of Fire strikes a strong balance between emotional depth, action, and world-building, making it a rewarding read for those invested in character-driven fantasy with complex stakes. It may be slower at times, but the growth of its characters and the world they inhabit makes it a pivotal installment in the series.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Grief

Heir of Fire dives deep into the emotional and psychological struggles of its characters, particularly Celaena as she faces her traumatic past and strives to find her true identity.

The book reveals crucial backstory about Celaena's past, including her heritage as Aelin Galathynius, the lost heir to a kingdom, and her struggles with accepting her responsibilities. Her journey of self-acceptance and embracing her role as a leader is a major theme, alongside her growing relationship with Rowan, which evolves from initial antagonism to deep friendship and eventually a romantic bond.

There is also a significant shift in tone as the book explores new characters, like Manon, whose perspective adds complexity to the narrative, with her own struggles for power and identity. The introduction of the Ironteeth witches and their own brutal society offers a contrast to Celaena’s journey, showing a different side of power dynamics and survival. The book explores themes of power, not just physical but emotional, as characters confront their deepest vulnerabilities. The world-building is expanded, introducing new magical systems and political tensions that will have far-reaching consequences in the series. Overall, Heir of Fire is rich in emotional depth, character growth, and complex world-building, making it a pivotal installment in the Throne of Glass series.

_bailey_reads_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this book. It’s so far my favorite out of the series. I’m looking forward to starting Queen of Shadows. 

Celaena (Aelin) really grew a lot in this book! My love and respect for her grew so much more than it did in the last two books (haven’t read Assassins Blade prequel yet). 

This book flips between following Celaena, Dorian, Chaol, and two new characters Manon and Aedion. I really enjoyed all of the different journeys they went through and felt more and more invested as the book progressed. 

I thought the world building in this book was a big step up in comparison to the two previous books. I am a huge ACOTAR fan for the romance and Feyre’s personal journey but I feel the world building in this world is better than the ACOTAR series. 


****spoilers for people who want to know about the romance*** 

Okay so spoilers for romance readers:…. The romance in this is so slow burn it barely burns…. It’s like a simmer. By simmer I mean, towards the ending of the books there are some embers of affection and romance between Rowan and Celaena. No kissing or any spice.  Personally I am into it. I read ACOTAR and loveddd the spice in that and I heard TOG has spice but in like the last couple of books. So the slow burn is really building anticipation. I also didn’t expect to be as invested as I am in Celaena so I am sticking to the journey!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, and Death of parent

lavendar's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A book I have grown to love more and more with the introduction of favorite characters and hindsight of the story, its portrayal of grief, and the journey back to the light is beautiful. It gives new perspectives to each of the characters we’ve loved the previous two books, while paving the way for new stories! And it’s epic world-changing twists!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Abandonment

The bonus chapter for Heir of Fire (found in the Target exclusive Empire of Storms edition) in between chapter 45! It’s a perfect fit (later referenced in Queen of Shadows) and totally adds a new level of depth to the story! Especially for me, as Rowan was not my favorite for a while; but in hindsight like that

I fall in love with him & Aelin all over again!