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A review by abetterpaige
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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After sleeping on it, I’ve decided to round up instead of down in my ratings for the first time only, making this my first 5 star read of 2023! I struggled immensely with the first 120 pages - I found them so slow and difficult to get into. I’m not sure if it’s because I read this fourth, after Assassin’s Blade (which is fairly fast paced), or if I was just struggling with the characters again. I had Rowan’s importance spoiled for me so I was excited to meet him and I was prepared for the worst but… I have theories as to why he did and said some of the mean things he said and did and they did not turn me off from him in the slightest!
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The storyline I struggled with the most was Manon’s. I didn’t think the witch politics were explained well and I found it veryyyyy difficult to keep everything straight at first, especially with our only previous intro to the witches being Baba Yellowlegs and the horror around her. Abraxos was one of my favorite parts of the book, though, and I know that I’m going to like Manon.
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I understand that as a whole, the fandom doesn’t really care for Chaol. I’m not sure when I’ll understand that hatred, but I still have a soft spot for him. He’s still relatively young, having had to choose between his family and service, pledging loyalty to his best friend… a lot of his internal struggles are trying to find the “right” thing to do. I respect his deep appreciation for Dorian and I can understand his conflict around Aelin.
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Poor, sweet baby Dorian. I can’t even talk about it or I’m going to cry again. Can this man catch a break?!?!????????
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Also, Aelin… wow. I just love her. I love her so much. She and Rowan are two of my favorite characters I’ve ever read. Chapter 54 ripped my heart out, literally, and it’s still just laying on the floor of my living room because the rest of the book continued to break me. My previous complaints about her being young, while valid, led her to the woman she became in this book - and learning more of her story, of her sacrifices and loss, has proven her a righteous queen. I’m so ready to take down Adarlan, I could SCREAM!!!!!!!!!