Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) Review by Sarah J.Maas | Long, Slow Paced but Explosive…

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Synopsis

Heir of Fire follows Celaena Sardothien after the events of Crown of Midnight, as she travels to Wendlyn and is forced to confront parts of herself she has been avoiding. Away from Adarlan, she comes face to face with her magic, her past and the wider threat growing across the world.

At the same time, Dorian is still dealing with his own forbidden magic, Chaol is pulled further into political danger and new characters are introduced who expand the world beyond Adarlan. The story shifts into a much larger fantasy setup, with Fae, witches and the threat of something far darker coming closer.

Main and Key Side Character Info

Celaena Sardothien

• Celaena is still the central character, who is learning more about her identity following the conclusions of the previous book.
  

Rowan Whitethorn

• Rowan is introduced as a Fae warrior connected to Maeve.
  

Dorian Havilliard

• Dorian is still in Adarlan and dealing with magic he has to keep hidden.

Chaol Westfall

• Chaol is caught between loyalty to Dorian, fear of the king and the truth about Celaena.
  

Queen Maeve

• Maeve is a powerful Fae queen and Celaena’s aunt.

Review

I will start by saying that, for the first half of this book, I was bored! It felt like a slog. And as a couch potato, that meant me and this book were not on good terms to begin with.

I was listening to the audiobook alongside the book too, so I had the full immersive experience going on. And I was still bored.

If it was not for my commitment in wanting to finish this series, I probably would have DNF’d this around the halfway point. But I stuck with it, and I am so glad I did.

This book is long. Almost 700 pages long. So it is a hefty one regardless of whether you are enjoying it or not. The first half really did feel like an uphill battle for me, but once the story started moving, I felt much more invested. The second half had more pull, more emotion and more of the bigger fantasy direction I had been waiting for.

As the story unfolds, the series widens properly. We get a bigger world, more magic, more Fae and more side characters who clearly have a part to play in the wider story. We are also introduced to witches and wyverns, which made the series feel much bigger than one castle and one kindgom.

Celaena’s story also shifts a lot after the revelations in Crown of Midnight. T his is where we see her having to face more of who she is, what she has been through and what she may become.

We met Rowan, a Fae male who is assigned to train Celaena and help her discover her true potential.

Alongside Celaena’s storyline, we also follow Dorian and Chaol, who are both in very different places by this point. Their choices and loyalties are clearly going to affect the next book and I liked that the story kept pulling us back to Adarlan while Celaena’s world was expanding elsewhere.

Despite this being a slog, it is an important book given how much it advances the story. It’s very plot and character heavy. It is slower in places, especially because there are several separate storylines running at once. But as you get through, you learn a lot, see a lot of development as well as one hell of an explosive ending which will have you running for the next book.

Audiobook

The audiobook is narrated by Elizabeth Evans.

I listened to the audiobook alongside the ebook and that worked well for keeping track of the different storylines. Elizabeth Evans’ narration was clear and easy to settle into as with the previous audiobooks.

I would not say this was a standout audiobook for me personally, but it supported the book well. It also helped me keep moving through the slower sections, which I definitely needed in the first half.

Who I’d Recommend This Book To

I’d recommend Heir of Fire to readers who:

• Have already started the Throne of Glass series.

• Enjoy training arcs and magic development.

• Like fantasy series with separate branching stories.

Verdict

This was long… and it was a bit of an uphill battle!

The ending also gave me very strong Lord of the Rings: Return of the King vibes. It felt like it could have ended several chapters before it actually did. Every time the narrator finished a chapter, I thought, “This is it, right?” Then she would start another one.

That being said, I did like the story overall. I liked the bigger fantasy direction and the way the plot opened up beyond Adarlan. I also liked the introduction of the new characters, all of whom seem to have an important role to play going forward.

This definitely feels like a turning point for the series. It leaves Dorian, Aedion, Chaol and Celaena in very different positions and there is clearly a lot for the next book to deal with.

Not my favourite in the series so far by any means, but definitely one that feels very necessary to the overall story.

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ✨

You can buy this book on Amazon (Affiliate Links):

Hardback: https://amzn.to/4udpcVQ

Paperback: https://amzn.to/435bCaQ

Kindle: https://amzn.to/4uannca

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3R7CEM6