REVIEW: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

Title: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre (s): Fantasy and romance

Publisher:  Bloomsbury

Published: September 2nd 2014

Stars: Five MASSIVE ones

 

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? 

 

 

 ”She was the heir of ash and fire-”

 

This book was totally and utterly completely different to its predecessors. HEIR OF FIRE was a non-stop thrill ride, but in other ways than THRONE OF GLASS and CROWN OF MIDNIGHT.

HEIR OF FIRE focuses on the lives of four characters – Celaena, Chaol, Dorian and a brand new character, the witch Manon. 

Celaena faces very different issues this book.  Where the last two books are world builders, in a sense, this one is all about character development. And boy does Celaena do some developing! At the end of CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, we see Celaena on her way to Wendlyn, her home kingdom. The kingdom of the fae and her surviving family.

In Wendlyn, we meet a whole new bunch of new characters. Celaena gets herself into more deep, dark trouble and subsequently kicks ass. Of course.  Our heroine grows a LOT. Both mentally and physically. By the end of HEIR OF FIRE, your heart is pounding as if you’re in the book itself. It draws you in and sinks its claws deep into you.

The most notable new characters are Manon Blackbeak and Rowan Whitethorn.

If you attended Celaena’s special birthday livestream, you’ll already be familiar with Manon’s nature. Violent nature, I should add. She is amazing. There is a fine line between sadistic and bloodthirsty, and I’m still not sure which category she falls into. She’s just so intricate, bloody and downright amazing. Also, because of her, I’d very much like to open a wyvern sanctuary. SAVE THE WYVERNS! And give one to me. Please.  

Anyway, back to Manon.  She’s amazing and seriously, she’s going to grow on you to the point you flick back through the book just to reread her parts. She and Abraxos are the most adorable (?) thing ever. It feels weird calling them cute, but they actually are. Get ready for Manon! She’s going to blow you away and gouge your eyes out with iron nails.

Next up… Rowan Whitethorn. 

I could talk about him all day long and not get bored once. Intricate and perfectly lickable, Rowan will blow your underwear off, and that’s not an exaggeration. 

Without going into detail, Rowan is the fae warrior you want to see working out while he’s half naked. HEIR OF FIRE would not have been so amazing without him (and Manon) at all.  He adds so many elements to the book that haven’t been in the previous ones. If anything, he and Celaena remind me of Romitri (Rose and Dimitri from the Vampire Academy books) with how they interact and their whole relationship. It’s totally unique to the two characters and quite frankly, their scenes together are the best parts of the book. A pupil and her (sexy) mentor.

Chaol and Dorian are both in the HEIR OF FIRE as well, but not as much as Celaena. They both have their own story lines, issues and inner demons. Romance is featured in the book, but certainly not as prominent as the last two books. This book is all about character development, and it is beautiful.

This book gets all my love and hugs and kisses and squishes. I love it so much. Even if it is so very different to the last two books. There is so much more to say, but details/SPOILERS. You wait guys, you wait. It’s fiery and explosive, and I mean that literally. 

Massive 5 stars and I’m anxiously awaiting book 4 after such a climatic ending!!

TRUTHWITCH cover reveal

 From the author of the SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY trilogy comes something new; the WITCHLAND novels! First of the series is called TRUTHWITCH.

 

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery,” a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Isn't that cover a thing of beauty?! The blues, the ship, the OUTFIT. SO much cover love. And the summary... I need this book in my hands ASAP. This book is starting to sound like, to quote Sarah J Maas-  

We will most certainly be keeping an eye out in the hopes of securing an ARC from either Susan or the publisher. Already TRUTHWITCH feels like it will become an instant favorite of ours.

Sadly, the publishing date has been pushed back an extra two months. So TRUTHWITCH will be out in January 2016 now. But still, there will be ARCs galore, so make sure to grab a copy.

One last thing - another close-up. My favorite part of the cover.

ISN'T THAT JUST AMAZING? Kudos the team that created this gem of a cover!

REVIEW: The 100 by Kass Morgan

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents -- considered expendable by society -- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves -- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope. 

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 Two very disappointed stars

I simply cannot believe how much I disliked this book when I am in love with the TV show. Too many POVs, seriously. I bought the book in January after watching season one and was positively hungering for more... and it's taken three months for me to read the entire thing. Won't say anymore in this review because it will turn into a rant. Two stars, not one. Because Bellamy Blake is epic in both show and book. It was very interesting to see the differences in the characters from the show and book. I do actually own the second book in the series (regretting the waste of money now...) so maybe one day when I'm beyond bored, I'll force myself to read it. For now though, it will sit on my shelf collecting dust. Never said this before but... watch the show instead! The story line is MUCH more compelling and the characters much more three-dimensional and real.

ARC REVIEW: A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas.

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas. 

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