I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on September 2, 2014
Pages: 565
Source: the publisher
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Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

Heir of Fire has broken my feels and stomped all over them. That is all.

Okay, kidding. I have way more to say than that. But that about sums it up! The ending of Crown of Midnight was pretty intense, but everyone warned me that Heir of Fire would break me – and it did. It was intense, insane, crazy. After reading all four (The Assassin’s Blade included) Throne of Glass books in one month, I’m emotionally drained and I have an epic book hangover.

Celaena has always been a kick-ass, take-no-prisons kind of person. She was broken after the events that occurred between the end of The Assassin’s Blade and the beginning of Throne of Glass. She built herself back up between Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight, but she still tried to forget about her past and deny who she really was. But finally, in Heir of Fire, Celaena slowly comes to accept her past, who she is and what she needs to do. She trains and fights and goes through the emotional ringer – first with Rowan, then with all the bad guys she faces throughout the book. Every time she was broken down, she struggled to come back from the blow. At times, it felt like she wouldn’t be able to come back, that she had finally spiraled down into a dark abyss. But in the end, Celaena triumphed. It was a struggle and she suffered tremendous heartbreak, but this book definitely set Celaena up to be incredibly fierce and strong in book four.

Chaol. Oh, Chaol. I adore Chaol so much. I’m Team Chaol. I felt so bad for him though. He basically lost everyone he cared about in Heir of Fire. He worked so hard to protect everyone, to show loyalty to the king and still fight for what was right. I’m happy with the way his story ended in Heir of Fire. It feels right for his character and I’m eager to see what that means for him in book four.

As for Dorian.. I still don’t ship him with Celaena (Sorry Team Dorian!) but I really liked him in this book. He has a kind heart and it’s obvious he’ll be an amazing king one day. I seriously hope, before the series is done, we get to see him as King of Adarlan. I can totally see him righting all the wrongs of his father. But the journey to become king… After that ending? OMG!!! I think Dorian’s story was the one that hit me the hardest. That ending… What happened.. I.. I… I CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF SPOILERS BUT IT BROKE ME!!!!!!!

Sarah J. Maas writes epic, amazing characters. Whether they be secondary, tertiary or so in the background, we don’t even learn their name – they all stick with you for one reason or another. It’s really hard to talk about some of them while avoiding spoilers. But I absolutely LOVED Aedion, Rowan, Emrys, Luca, Malakai and Sorscha – though not all of them got happily ever afters and I’m DYING to get my hands on book four to see what happens next for those still… okay.

My biggest complaint with Heir of Fire was that it was REALLY long. I don’t mind reading long books, but there were several sections in Heir of Fire that dragged and were boring – like the ones with Manon. I HATED most of the scenes with Manon and that group of characters (Er.. being vague to avoid spoilers). I liked Manon and Abraxos together, though.

To counter that complaint, I loved all the background we got in Heir of Fire. We learned a LOT about Celaena’s past and what happened Before. We even got a glimpse into what the future could bring, if all goes well.

I’ve mentioned this a little bit throughout my review, but the ending was MIND-BLOWING!!!!!!!! I feel broken and drained and I can’t believe all the crazy things that happened in such a short amount of time near the very end. I’d say the last 15-20% (I was reading an eBook so I don’t have exact page numbers) of the book was intense and the intensity never let up!

After a month of reading the Throne of Glass series, I can officially say this series is amazing. Each book gets better and better. And Sarah J. Maas is an epic, amazing writer. She has created an incredible world with amazing, well-rounded characters. She has broken my feels and I may never recover. And…. WHEN CAN I HAVE BOOK FOUR?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I need it!!!!!

So basically, if you haven’t read Heir of Fire – or any of the Throne of Glass series – you NEED to. Prepare your feels, grab some tissues and read them ASAP! Sarah J. Maas is now forever on my “Auto-Buy Author List” and I can’t wait for Throne of Glass #4, as well as her new series, A Court of Thorns and Roses!