Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Heir of Fire

first read in 2019 - original rating: 2/5 stars

Honestly, I liked this much more than I expected (and remembered from the first time around as well). I did still have a difficult relationship with this book though. There were parts that were boring to me. There were elements that I strongly disliked, but in the end I did enjoy this quite a bit, and the ending has me hyped to continue on with the series. I truly think this is a turning point for the series, and I'm quite excited to see where that is going to go.
Let's start with the biggest surprise of this book, it actually got me to root for Celeana. Don't get me wrong though, I absolutely HATED her for a large chunk of this book. She felt very weak, and pathetic, and following her just wasn't enjoyable for a while. However, she goes through A LOT of growth throughout this book, and I love that in this book she's surrounded by people that are willing to call her out on her bullshit, and just kiss her ass for no reason. I also think her part of the story was easily the most interesting. It got a bit boring in the beginning because it was just a lot of training, but overall the descriptions of magic, and learning how it works plus learning more about the fae side of the world was quite interesting as well. The plot also amps up the most in this part of the book, and I was on the edge of my seat during its climax.
Then we also have a storyline following Chaol and Dorian, and from what I remember that was my favourite part of this book last time. However, this time around it fell flat for me. I do think the concept of it was interesting, but the execution was lacking for me. Dorian's storyline could have been incredibly interesting but was pushed to the side for an incredibly underdeveloped, slightly problematic romance. It just was easily the least interesting part of this book. Chaol's side of this storyline could have been interesting as well, but it was obvious to me that Sarah J. Maas had no clue what to do with him. His character felt very wishy-washy. It kept me from getting invested in his part of the story as his motivations were just impossible to read.
Then we also have a new character to follow in this book, Manon. I don't know how to feel about her, or her story yet. Her chapters were very few and far in between, and didn't feel like a natural part of this book. They felt jammed in, and switching to her chapters felt very jarring. They were also relatively short compared to the other characters, and it left me with the feeling that I just didn't get a good enough grasp on her character, nor that side of the world, nor that storyline. I am excited to explore it more in future books, especially because I've heard a lot of people rave about Manon but right now it's just nothing.
So yeah, a very mixed bag of a book for me, but it was a relative quick read for its size, and I had a good time for most of it. Like mentioned before I also am incredibly excited to continue on with the series, and I never really expected that day to come so it is a win for me.

Content Warnings

emilywemily6's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Amazing!! I devoured this book and I can’t wait for the next one. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I thoroughly enjoyed following every perspective and am so excited to see where these characters go from here.

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ivegotyourpaperback's review against another edition

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3.75

3.75-4⭐️ (I keep fluctuating)

This was another very enjoyable addition to the series.

I felt there was a bit of a lull at the start of the book where the pacing had slowed back down since the ending of book 2. So I found myself almost starting from scratch in terms of being emotionally invested in the returning characters.

In terms of new characters introduced that I’ve come to love, we’ve got:

Manon Blackbeak (badass bitch extraordinaire)
Abraxos (cutie patootie)
Amaranth—— I mean Adarlan’s Whore, Aedion
Sorscha (under-utilised character IMO)

For me where this book shined was in:

the relationship between Dorian and Sorscha
The rift between Dorian and Chaol
The political intrigue and scheming going on in Rifthold
Aedion’s feelings and motivations
Villainous deeds on page from fucked up rulers (side note: does the King of Adarlan have a name?)

I was less thrilled hearing about Celaena’s training montages and depressive episodes with newbie, Rowan. And I wasn’t completely sold on Rowan until he said one of my favourite things an MC can say to another MC: “who did that to you?”. 🫠 After that I was wholly on board with this broody Fae prince.

The last few chapters of the book had me experiencing a roller coaster of emotions and I can’t wait to pick up where we’ve left off (hopefully there’s not another pace change at the beginning of the next book lie there was with this one).

In terms of recommending reading order of the series, I’ve seen a lot of people say Assassin’s Blade should be read next. I’ll try it, but may end up skipping straight to book 4 if I get antsy.

Content warnings:

⚠️racism towards mixed race beings

⚠️Slurs towards mixed race beings

⚠️implied animal cruelty

⚠️mention of torture

⚠️corporal punishment

⚠️murder

Content Warnings