Click on the book to be redirected to the Goodreads page.
Heir of Fire - Sarah J. Maas
Honestly, if I could, I would shower a billion stars on this book. It was THAT good. HoF is definitely up there now in my favorite books, if not my absolute favorite.
I genuinely think Sarah J. Maas' writing gets better with each book she writes. I started Throne of Glass enjoying it while finding it quite similar to the other books in YA these days. Crown of Midnight delightedly surprised me as more elements of fantasy were woven into the story and it concentrated less on the romance and more of the world of TOG. And now, Heir of Fire. It was near perfection- everything I would want in a book.
THE FANTASY. This aspect of the book I definitely enjoyed very much. It was mainly in Celaena's and Manon's perspectives, thus the two that I most eagerly devoured. I just found all the tales fascinating and while more details kept piling up, it never became convoluted because each twist made sense- fit like a missing puzzle piece. The foreign creatures- the wyverns, the skinwalkers, and the Valg- were just so fascinating and added to the intrigue of the story as well as being formidable enemies of Celaena.
THE WORLD. Maas did so much worldbuilding in this book. With each book in the series, the world is opened tenfold more. I think that was what ToG lacked- the story only focused on just the court of Adarlan. It lacked... authenticity (for lack of a better word) for such an issue to only be focused within a castle was unrealistic and in this book, you could truly see the far reaches of the issue and how complex the King's plans were. You could see all of the lands and people that were affected and the obstacles Celaena must face to conquer back her land and annihilate the King. I admit, all of the different lands and territories confused the heck out of me but it totally fit. I look forward to more.
THE STORY. was. overwhelming. So much happened in those 560+ pages. THOSE TWISTS AND TURNS. Each character went through so much and honestly I don't know how half of them managed to survive the book. I think I would have died 10 pages in (I doubt even that long.) I really appreciated that Sarah wasn't afraid to throw her main characters in hell. It seemed more real to me, to see them face such adversity- it makes the triumph all the more greater in the end. It was a really powerful, emotional story that delivered a powerful message of strength and acceptance. Oh, and I cried about four times. four. THE END THOUGH. MORE ON THAT LATER.
THE WRITING. It was absolutely beautiful. I haven't read such amazing writing in a long while. Everything was original and flowed together perfectly. It was really beautiful. I don't know how many times I have to repeat that to get it across. Like, I would read and just stare in awe at the writing. She shifted between different POV's seamlessly and you could really see each unique personality.
THE CHARACTERS. After CoM, I was concerned because there were too few characters to carry a rich, developed sequel. Luckily, she introduced a crapload of new characters and I loved every. single. one.
Celaena: HER GROWTH. She developed so much as she learned to accept her Fae side. I feel like she went in as a bratty, arrogant girl and came out a mature, confident woman. She learned so much more about herself and grew into Aelin. Her friendship and bond with Rowan really strengthened that. I do wish she didn't blame herself SO MUCH for the death of her loved ones throughout the book- I understand it was necessary for the plot but it seemed to drag on and on. But of course, that's Celaena's nature to care. I'm just grateful that by the end, she possessed more self-control. AND IS READY TO TAKE DOWN THE KING OF ADARLAN. AND MAEVE.
Rowan: After finishing CoM, I read the reviews of HoF and everyone was Team Rowan. I went into HoF very hesitant because I was all for Team Chaol but I knew inside I would convert. And I did. So hard. His soul just complements Aelin's perfectly- even his power of ice and wind fits! He knows when and how to reel her in and he just understands her past struggles perfectly because he's gone through similar ones. I was kind of hesitant because he was centuries old but their maturity seemed on par with each other by the end. They just FIT. They are so comfortable together- there are no secrets and they trust each other completely. He knocked it out of the water. #TeamRowan
Chaol: I still love him. He really struggled to see where his priorities were. And it was completely understandable. He spent his entire life loyal to the King just to see the world flip upside down; he definitely needed time to think and grow in order to make such a big decision. And I really respect his decision to send Celaena away to protect her. And I even further respect his final decision at the end of the book. Throughout the book, I really doubted that he could ever end up with Celaena because of his inability to accept her for her and I still do doubt it but his decision spoke volumes and I do definitely see the potential for their relationship to grow again. Or just as easily to end in friendship. I'm just really satisfied with his character arc and I'm excited to see where he goes. Also, #bromancegoals (w/ Dorian) - they really pulled through in the end :')
Dorian: Oh, how I tired of him in CoM!! Having him have Sorscha there to depend on was so great because he stopped whining (haha, I'm joking... sorta)!! He really matured and became a true king in the end. It hurt to see the rift between Chaol and him for three fourths of the book but I think it really allowed him to concentrate on what mattered. His final sacrifice for Chaol just broke me. Boy to man. I am NOT excited to see what's in store for him in the next book... He had to deal with so much at the end and then that final *thing* happened. I'm shaking my head right now. And also, I just don't ship him with Celaena- I just don't see it. Maybe I will in the future... But I think they are great friends and allies. (Also I don't get the hate on Sorscha- she did nothing wrong... she was really supportive of him and his decisions and so trustworthy!)
Manon: AH SHE IS SO FEISTY. She honestly scared me when I first met on her but she really grew on me. I am confident she has a soul- she showed a lot of bravery in saving her rival. She and Abraxos are #goals. I mean she is apparently an enemy but honestly I think she will band with Aelin after witnessing the king's atrocities... I mean Sarah J. Maas hinted at her empathy. I have hope. But for now, I'll leave it at that she is such a badass. I need MORE.
Aedion: UGH HE'S SO LOYAL. I LOVE HIM. His fealty of Aelin is really amazing that it endured this long. He really has a lot of depth to him and I am so eager to know more about him. His sacrifice for Chaol/Dorian/Celaena AHH. Is it okay to also ship him with Celaena? Because I see it. I really do.
THE ROMANCE: Honestly not a lot of it in this book. I was hoping for more but I think in the end, the book deserved to not be overwrought with it in order for the fantasy to shine. I ship her with Rowan and Aedion so much but my heart breaks for Chaol because he was my #1 bae and I think he'll be really wrecked when/if she ends things with him officially.
This is Jennifer signing off now. xx
No comments:
Post a Comment