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A review by jelkebooks
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.0
first read in 2019 - original rating: 2/5 stars
Honestly, I liked this much more than I expected (and remembered from the first time around as well). I did still have a difficult relationship with this book though. There were parts that were boring to me. There were elements that I strongly disliked, but in the end I did enjoy this quite a bit, and the ending has me hyped to continue on with the series. I truly think this is a turning point for the series, and I'm quite excited to see where that is going to go.
Let's start with the biggest surprise of this book, it actually got me to root for Celeana. Don't get me wrong though, I absolutely HATED her for a large chunk of this book. She felt very weak, and pathetic, and following her just wasn't enjoyable for a while. However, she goes through A LOT of growth throughout this book, and I love that in this book she's surrounded by people that are willing to call her out on her bullshit, and just kiss her ass for no reason. I also think her part of the story was easily the most interesting. It got a bit boring in the beginning because it was just a lot of training, but overall the descriptions of magic, and learning how it works plus learning more about the fae side of the world was quite interesting as well. The plot also amps up the most in this part of the book, and I was on the edge of my seat during its climax.
Then we also have a storyline following Chaol and Dorian, and from what I remember that was my favourite part of this book last time. However, this time around it fell flat for me. I do think the concept of it was interesting, but the execution was lacking for me. Dorian's storyline could have been incredibly interesting but was pushed to the side for an incredibly underdeveloped, slightly problematic romance. It just was easily the least interesting part of this book. Chaol's side of this storyline could have been interesting as well, but it was obvious to me that Sarah J. Maas had no clue what to do with him. His character felt very wishy-washy. It kept me from getting invested in his part of the story as his motivations were just impossible to read.
Then we also have a new character to follow in this book, Manon. I don't know how to feel about her, or her story yet. Her chapters were very few and far in between, and didn't feel like a natural part of this book. They felt jammed in, and switching to her chapters felt very jarring. They were also relatively short compared to the other characters, and it left me with the feeling that I just didn't get a good enough grasp on her character, nor that side of the world, nor that storyline. I am excited to explore it more in future books, especially because I've heard a lot of people rave about Manon but right now it's just nothing.
So yeah, a very mixed bag of a book for me, but it was a relative quick read for its size, and I had a good time for most of it. Like mentioned before I also am incredibly excited to continue on with the series, and I never really expected that day to come so it is a win for me.
Honestly, I liked this much more than I expected (and remembered from the first time around as well). I did still have a difficult relationship with this book though. There were parts that were boring to me. There were elements that I strongly disliked, but in the end I did enjoy this quite a bit, and the ending has me hyped to continue on with the series. I truly think this is a turning point for the series, and I'm quite excited to see where that is going to go.
Let's start with the biggest surprise of this book, it actually got me to root for Celeana. Don't get me wrong though, I absolutely HATED her for a large chunk of this book. She felt very weak, and pathetic, and following her just wasn't enjoyable for a while. However, she goes through A LOT of growth throughout this book, and I love that in this book she's surrounded by people that are willing to call her out on her bullshit, and just kiss her ass for no reason. I also think her part of the story was easily the most interesting. It got a bit boring in the beginning because it was just a lot of training, but overall the descriptions of magic, and learning how it works plus learning more about the fae side of the world was quite interesting as well. The plot also amps up the most in this part of the book, and I was on the edge of my seat during its climax.
Then we also have a storyline following Chaol and Dorian, and from what I remember that was my favourite part of this book last time. However, this time around it fell flat for me. I do think the concept of it was interesting, but the execution was lacking for me. Dorian's storyline could have been incredibly interesting but was pushed to the side for an incredibly underdeveloped, slightly problematic romance. It just was easily the least interesting part of this book. Chaol's side of this storyline could have been interesting as well, but it was obvious to me that Sarah J. Maas had no clue what to do with him. His character felt very wishy-washy. It kept me from getting invested in his part of the story as his motivations were just impossible to read.
Then we also have a new character to follow in this book, Manon. I don't know how to feel about her, or her story yet. Her chapters were very few and far in between, and didn't feel like a natural part of this book. They felt jammed in, and switching to her chapters felt very jarring. They were also relatively short compared to the other characters, and it left me with the feeling that I just didn't get a good enough grasp on her character, nor that side of the world, nor that storyline. I am excited to explore it more in future books, especially because I've heard a lot of people rave about Manon but right now it's just nothing.
So yeah, a very mixed bag of a book for me, but it was a relative quick read for its size, and I had a good time for most of it. Like mentioned before I also am incredibly excited to continue on with the series, and I never really expected that day to come so it is a win for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Slavery