Scan barcode
A review by willeh
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
meh
Unlike its predecessors, I very much struggled with finishing this book. There was a constant appeal to do anything but keep reading.
Pros:
I have to commend the writing and the story progression. This is, without a doubt, a pivotal book. The world we’ve come to love has continued to expand, introducing more of its lore. Wendlyn was refreshing and a very nice contrast with the lack of magic in Erilea.
We once again are subjected to the gruesome journey that is C’s life. She needs to catch a break.
Her growth in this book is astronomical and admirable (at times).
Cons
I hated every single time I had to read from other character’s POV. Especially if they weren’t within C’s vicinity. It’s not that I don’t care about them, but it’s not where my focus is at. The worst of these was every time it flipped to the witches. I kept wondering, “Why wasn’t all that part of a separate novella like Assasin’s Blade?”. I have to believe that they will play a very important role in C’s future.
I didn’t dislike it as much when the story shifted to Chaol and Dorian, but only because we’ve come to know them. Even then, it felt like a burden to get through those chapters.
The above made the book longer than it needed to be. My true frustration, however, was that a lot of the things that were happening to C seemed repetitive. I have heard that other readers have suggested reading Assassin’s Blade after this book. A part of me understands that. I read it first, however, and thought it provided quite a bit of background. It helps the reader understand C and gives more depth to her character. With that being said, it does feel like she keeps going through the same thing over and over again. I do not expect her to find a mate or fall in love, but it seems masochistic (maybe narcissistic) at this point. It’s like the author wants to torture the protagonist as many times as possible before achieving any sort of growth. I think this is true in some aspects of life, but redundant when it repeats itself across three different books.
To add to the above, the shift from being tortured to acceptance happens almost way too quickly. It’s attributed to the protagonist’s capabilities and extra training, but I felt like the author couldn’t torture the character anymore without making this book an abysmal failure.
Alas, the story remains intriguing and highly entertaining. It ends in a very frustrating cliffhanger. Every part of me wants to pick up the next book, but I feel fatigued with the story and will venture into other genres of books before veering back to this one.
Unlike its predecessors, I very much struggled with finishing this book. There was a constant appeal to do anything but keep reading.
Pros:
I have to commend the writing and the story progression. This is, without a doubt, a pivotal book. The world we’ve come to love has continued to expand, introducing more of its lore. Wendlyn was refreshing and a very nice contrast with the lack of magic in Erilea.
We once again are subjected to the gruesome journey that is C’s life. She needs to catch a break.
Her growth in this book is astronomical and admirable (at times).
Cons
I hated every single time I had to read from other character’s POV. Especially if they weren’t within C’s vicinity. It’s not that I don’t care about them, but it’s not where my focus is at. The worst of these was every time it flipped to the witches. I kept wondering, “Why wasn’t all that part of a separate novella like Assasin’s Blade?”. I have to believe that they will play a very important role in C’s future.
I didn’t dislike it as much when the story shifted to Chaol and Dorian, but only because we’ve come to know them. Even then, it felt like a burden to get through those chapters.
The above made the book longer than it needed to be. My true frustration, however, was that a lot of the things that were happening to C seemed repetitive. I have heard that other readers have suggested reading Assassin’s Blade after this book. A part of me understands that. I read it first, however, and thought it provided quite a bit of background. It helps the reader understand C and gives more depth to her character. With that being said, it does feel like she keeps going through the same thing over and over again. I do not expect her to find a mate or fall in love, but it seems masochistic (maybe narcissistic) at this point. It’s like the author wants to torture the protagonist as many times as possible before achieving any sort of growth. I think this is true in some aspects of life, but redundant when it repeats itself across three different books.
To add to the above, the shift from being tortured to acceptance happens almost way too quickly. It’s attributed to the protagonist’s capabilities and extra training, but I felt like the author couldn’t torture the character anymore without making this book an abysmal failure.
Alas, the story remains intriguing and highly entertaining. It ends in a very frustrating cliffhanger. Every part of me wants to pick up the next book, but I feel fatigued with the story and will venture into other genres of books before veering back to this one.