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A review by shellballenger
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Type of read: Lunch/Weekend Read.
What made me pick it up: Maas sucked me in with ACOTAR and now I just want more of the Maasverse and let's be honest, to prepare for the interconnection of all her literary worlds.
Overall rating: Ahhhh, that dreaded part in a series where the author needs to build worlds and context and *hopefully* set up the next books in the series. Here's the thing, I love 'Heir of Fire' because we get to meet Rowan and get a better look into Celaena Sardothien and who she is growing and training to become, but it's so dang drawn out. There were some points where I was jaw on the floor, not prepared to turn the next page and then there were stretches where it was like, yeah, we get it, she is a cold hardass who doesn't want to let anyone in (and these were also usually the times I was reminded of how young Celaena is...she does celebrate her 19th birthday in 'Heir of Fire'). What I liked about 'Heir of Fire' was the historical looks where we find out more about our FMC and how they became who they are today. I also liked that this was the first book where I saw potential glimpses of worlds colliding (TOG and ACOTAR). Obviously, I'm continuing the series - and I would be lying if I didn't say I knew there were going to be books in the series that were less interesting than the others - I'm just hoping we pick back up with a little less world building and a little more action in 'Queen of Shadows.'
Sidenote - So far my reading order has been: 'Assassian's Blade', 'Throne of Glass', 'Crown of Midnight', and then 'Heir of Fire'. I came into the series only knowing that I loved Maas's style from ACOTAR, I was not privy to any of the TOG characters or storyline. I feel like the way I've tackled the series so far has made a ton of sense from a reading perspective and I feel like I've had the backstory necessary to make certain parts of the first three full books make sense without giving too much away. I'm still trying to decide if I'll be tandem reading 'Empire of Storms' and 'Tower of Dawn.'
Reader's Note: 'Heir of Fire' includes graphic depictions of death and torture.
What made me pick it up: Maas sucked me in with ACOTAR and now I just want more of the Maasverse and let's be honest, to prepare for the interconnection of all her literary worlds.
Overall rating: Ahhhh, that dreaded part in a series where the author needs to build worlds and context and *hopefully* set up the next books in the series. Here's the thing, I love 'Heir of Fire' because we get to meet Rowan and get a better look into Celaena Sardothien and who she is growing and training to become, but it's so dang drawn out. There were some points where I was jaw on the floor, not prepared to turn the next page and then there were stretches where it was like, yeah, we get it, she is a cold hardass who doesn't want to let anyone in (and these were also usually the times I was reminded of how young Celaena is...she does celebrate her 19th birthday in 'Heir of Fire'). What I liked about 'Heir of Fire' was the historical looks where we find out more about our FMC and how they became who they are today. I also liked that this was the first book where I saw potential glimpses of worlds colliding (TOG and ACOTAR). Obviously, I'm continuing the series - and I would be lying if I didn't say I knew there were going to be books in the series that were less interesting than the others - I'm just hoping we pick back up with a little less world building and a little more action in 'Queen of Shadows.'
Sidenote - So far my reading order has been: 'Assassian's Blade', 'Throne of Glass', 'Crown of Midnight', and then 'Heir of Fire'. I came into the series only knowing that I loved Maas's style from ACOTAR, I was not privy to any of the TOG characters or storyline. I feel like the way I've tackled the series so far has made a ton of sense from a reading perspective and I feel like I've had the backstory necessary to make certain parts of the first three full books make sense without giving too much away. I'm still trying to decide if I'll be tandem reading 'Empire of Storms' and 'Tower of Dawn.'
Reader's Note: 'Heir of Fire' includes graphic depictions of death and torture.