Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Mass (UK edition)

Title: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, 3)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury (11th September 2014)
Blurb:

Consumed by guilt and rage, Celaena can’t bring herself to spill blood for the King of Adarlan. She must fight back . . .

The Immortal Queen will help her destroy the king – for a price. But as Celaena battles with her darkest memories and her heart breaks for a love that could never last, can she fulfil her bargain and head the almighty court of Terrasen? And who will stand with her?

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

HEIR OF FIRE marks the third book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Mass. The book continues Celaena Sardothien’s story, following the King of Adarlan’s orders in CROWN OF MIDNIGHT (review) she has arrived in Wendlyn but past events have left her shaken and wounded, and she must decide what her future is going to be.

Having read and enjoyed the previous novels in this series, and the collection of short stories, I have been looking forward to seeing what Maas would do with this book – it seems, the middle book of a six book series if the hints on Goodreads are anything to go by. If the previous books were anything to go by, this one should be interesting: it did not disappoint. There is a lot going on in this book, so much so that the novel is split into two parts and the narrative itself focuses on three different people so that as a reader you gain a wider understanding of what is going on.

HEIR OF FIRE seems to finish the set-up of the previous two books, with battle lines being drawn and people taking sides. I really liked the fact that Maas focused on Celaena’s guilt – both from the events of the last book, and from her past. It was really interesting to watch her grow and change as the book progressed. I also really liked the fact that we finally get to see life outside of Adarlan.  Celaena meets some really interesting characters, and I look forward to seeing them again in future books.

The split narrative also meant that we get to see some of what is going on in Adarlan, and there does appear to be a lot going on there – Maas being brilliantly tricksy with the plot of both the book, and the series overall here I think. It was interesting to see the fallout of the end of CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, and what it meant for everyone.

HEIR OF FIRE brilliantly continues Celaena’s story, and if you are a fan of the series then you should enjoy this book too. Maas creates a brilliantly alive and complicated world, and a really entertaining story.